God Bless America
by Bast13
Summary: Based on the game by Comedic-Soldiers, America has been led into isolationism by his new president. The countries were ready to accept his decision until he disappears, someone leading the nations in his stead to rescue America. [T for blood and violence, implied torture, some censored swearing and harsh language]
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to God Bless America - The Fanfiction!**

 **This is based on a really cool game by Comedic-Soldiers [Found here: ] which I recommend! :D**

 **There will be some slight alterations but that comes with any adaptation, especially game-to-writing, so heads-up and even though I'll try to write America's P.O.V.s in American English but it probably won't be perfect.**

 **With all of that said, I hope you enjoy this fic and please review whether you like it or not so I can improve it! :D**

* * *

 **England**

" _In 2016, Timothy Harris was elected as the president of the United States of America. In his first term as president he famously sent the USA into isolation, eliminating most trade and limiting contact with all other countries, including its sister country to the north, Canada._

" _Despite having gone against congress' wishes by doing so the USA was prospering. By the end of his second term the citizens were calling,_ "Four more years!" _So in 2024, President Harris was elected for his third term in Office._

" _Crime was at an all time low. Poverty was at an all time low. Unemployment was at an all time low. And the trillion dollars in debt the USA had collected was paid off_." But by the third term everything had changed...

I put down the newspaper on the small polished table to his side. "Dreadful, as always," I muttered with a small forced smile. I was still for a small moment but then caught myself staring at the paper's front picture.

In front of a crowd of cheering Americans was their newly-elected leader waving back at them, his smile as pleasant and being as you would expect from someone being chosen to be the most powerful man on Earth. He had fairly dark brown hair with darker eyes and an even darker suit while his opposites in appearances sat behind him. A blonde woman was beaming at the new president through almost invisibly framed glasses while a young, excited-looking man seemed to be one step away from tossing a bucket of confetti onto the leader. He had shining blue eyes behind thin glasses and a little strand of hair on his golden head that seemed to ignore the laws of gravity.

He looked so happy that I had to remind myself to think, _Why couldn't he be_? It was quite an old newspaper by that point so America had had about eight years of isolation up until now and despite how much it hurt me to admit, the younger country seemed to be doing well on his own. Trade may have been cut but America had never truly lost touch with his former allies, well, up until a month ago.

I knew I shouldn't but not only had I been worrying about America, but I'd been actually _missing_ him. I had always said the boy was irritating when he'd call every hour on the hour to rant about spoilers for his favourite programmes then cry whenever something bad happened to them. It would always be about the dumbest things but now it felt almost unusual not to know what brand of cereal he'd eaten that morning.

The abrupt obedience to the isolationism was odd to say the least. I wondered whether he'd stopped calling Canada as well... I patted my pockets and swore in frustration. I never had it on me whenever I actually needed it, only when someone was phoning for money or insults.

I stood up from my rather comfy red sofa and proceeded to search for the phone in question. Sadly it hadn't just fallen from my trouser pocket and therefore was not simply behind the cushion. I walked around the low coffee table but found nothing more than an empty teapot, a plate of perfectly fine scones that I'd planned to eat for later and the several pots of red roses I'd placed there. I crouched down and looked under the table and sofa in the most gentlemanly way I could but found nothing. So I moved off my green carpet and onto the oak floor. The far walls were covered with bookshelves which covered the pale blue wallpaper with books from across the centuries I'd collected and enjoyed over my life of literature. It didn't take me long to confirm my phone wasn't there either due to books being so tightly packed nothing could hide in between the expertly put away covers.

My living room was actually quite an empty one so I quickly resolved to strolling towards the staircase, rolling some of the piano keys on my way. Honestly, I preferred the guitar if I was going to play any instrument but I wasn't completely useless. I quickly tapped out a bar of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' before reminding myself of my quest.

I turned away from the piano and climbed the stairs up to my bedroom, it being the only other place I'd visited since Seychelles had prank called me. She was quite dreadful at putting on a voice but I couldn't help but find it dreadfully sweet. America used to help her but, obviously, not any more. I batted my forehead in annoyance at myself. Why was I getting so hung up on America recently? It was almost as if I'd been transported back to the eighteenth century.

The small landing holding the door to my room was littered with a bunch of wine bottles I hadn't tidied away yet. France kept sending me wine or food he'd made as if I would suddenly declare him the winner in this century old feud we had. It had become less violent in modern days but even a gentleman wasn't above a few games to play. I added, 'Send France some scones' to my mental to-do list which grew vastly each day before opening the door in hope of finally removing at least one of the items.

"Thank goodness," I said immediately on looking through the threshold and onto my bed where my phone was lying. I went over and went to put it back in my pocket but before I could do so I realised it was vibrating and flashing.

My eyes widened hopefully and I tapped the screen. "I have to stop putting my phone on silent," I murmured in irritation before holding the phone up and listening to the message.

* * *

 **America**

"Call England. You know he'll pick up." I was talking out loud to be my own motivational coach but my voice was hushed as I power-walked through the large room-sized corridors. "He always has his phone on him to play games. I bet he's level billion by now, or something."

The other nations always said I talked too much when I was nervous. I denied it of course since a hero never got nervous but I would admit to feeling anxious. I _definitely_ talked a lot when I was anxious. My black and white sneakers trod on the red carpeting I'd walked on hundreds of times but this time they were silent, living up to their names. I'd always been comfortable here but not anymore. Now I just felt constantly on edge, constantly watched.

My hand was clutching the phone in my favorite bomber jacket's pocket but I didn't dare take it out in the open. Instead, I rushed towards one of the rooms I knew would empty. Hopefully.

All the drapes had been closed and all the lights were dimmed since it was night so I felt like the protagonist in some horror game. I shuddered and hurried my pace so I was as close to running as I could at this volume.

I reached the corridor's end and darted into the final door, exhaling in relief and quickly closing the door behind me. It made a bit more noise than I would have liked to but thankfully there wasn't anybody nearby.

I wandered blindly into the centre of the room, all the light had been cut off by the door, before finally feeling safe enough to get my phone out. But I ended up just staring at its blank screen. I stared at it in between my hands. It was beating away the cloud of darkness around me but was silent, unable to drown out the only source of sound in the whole room: me.

My breathing was rushed and causing my chest to shudder out of time to my heart, which was itself thudding away almost as fast as Italy could retreat. Everything was moving irregularly but I managed to dial England's number through the discord. Under all the internal noise I whispered under my breath, praying for God to bless America just one more time…England's voice broke through and the stars-and-striped phone flew to my ear.

"If this is the frog, don't call me. If this is America, this better not be one of your pranks again. If it's anyone else you can leave a message at the tone." I couldn't help smiling wistfully at the sound of my former-guardian's voice.

There was a small beep and I took a deep breath but couldn't help but feeling that I hadn't quite steadied my voice. "Uh, Arthur…this is Alfred." I was guarding my speech out of the paranoia I couldn't shake. Thankfully, he'd understand. "By the time you get this message you…you won't be able to reach me but I need help. Please, gather as many of them as you can."

I closed my eyes in resignation even though I knew there was no way he'd see it. I wondered whether he would just think this was some sort of joke. I still couldn't really believe it was at this point myself. I broke from my thoughts and stared ahead into the darkness. "I can't be the hero. Not this time. I…"

My thumb slammed onto the cell phone's screen as I rushed to get it out of sight. The sound of the opening door had been distinct but not soon enough. I was frozen in uncertainty as the slit of light from the door now breaking the heavy darkness was blocked once again by a man's shadow.

I didn't turn to face him. I stayed a statue from the uneasy anticipation while the man tutted. I heard him stepping closer under the cover of darkness with slow, determined strides.

"Now, now, _Alfie_. That wasn't very bright or very nice of you, was it?" His accent was very American and sounded strangely charismatic despite all the obvious evil being pumped into it.

As he walked further away from the door the small amount of light opened up. I knew that if I turned around now I would see his face.

"It kinda saddens me that you don't trust us. It's just like not being able to trust yourself." He laughed softly but with no less malevolence. "And I highly doubt any of your friends'll find you."

"They know where I am," I said stiffly, gathering up my courage and wheeling around to face the man. His face was bathed in shadows but there was no denying who it was.

"But not where you're going." His sneer was so sinister I even heard it in his voice. My pupils shrank in fear and my face fell. He continued stalking toward me but he slowly took his hand out of his pocket, acting slowly and confidently with the knowledge I wouldn't be able to retaliate against him.

He took the gun out and twirled it in his hand. "Plus…If somebody cared about you they would've saved you by now."

I backed up, trying to get away without forcing his hand, but within a few steps back I'd collided with the bookcase. _I'm trapped_ , I thought and even though it was in my mind I could have sworn it sounded high with panic.

The man stepped closer. He was only a foot away from me now and had stopped playing around with the gun in his hand. "You must be punished for trying to escape again, _Alfie._ " His voice and actions were so disjointed that it felt like I was watching two different movies at the same time. My eyes looked past the man and found the door. A person I couldn't identify fast enough moved into the door frame. It only took me a second to realise in horror I shouldn't have taken my eyes of the man in front of me because in that second he levelled the gun at me and the small fragments of light cut off.


	2. Chapter 2

**These chapters so far may be shorter than what I usually write but I keep feeling as if this was a good place to stop. Each chapter will probably vary in length as we go on but hopefully this means there won't be so many delays between them.**

 **And as always, I hope you enjoy and please support the original game! :D**

* * *

 **England**

France was rubbing his eyes blearily and he wasn't the one. I had gathered fourteen nations and they were all sitting around my dining table in a hastily called world meeting. Some countries had brought along some breakfast, or beer in the cases of Germany and Prussia. It was six in the morning for me and even though the Asian nations like Japan and China were wide awake and the Europeans were still tired, poor Canada was struggling to stay awake.

"Why would you a world meeting and _this_ hour, _Angleterre_? We all need our beauty sleep but, you especially," he chortled.

I rolled my eyes. "I would say 'wonderful to meet you too' but not even sarca... Francis, now is, unfortunately, not the time." I stopped and breathed deeply to calm myself. "Alfred needs our help."

That certainly woke the nations up. Canada's head shot from off the table so he was upright and he stared at me with wide, shocked eyes. "Ar..." he started but then something crashed through the door. All the eyes darted towards the entrance as the doors loudly swung open.

Those of us facing away turned around in our seats and my breath caught me my throat so I ended up spluttering, "America!?"

He tumbled through the doorframe and only managed to stop himself from collapsing at the last moment. He leant against the doorframe, his eyes briefly clenched shut in pain, and clutched his waist. He was covered in bruises and bloody scratches that cut his arms, face and sides.

I thought about approaching him, asking him where the heck he'd been the past month and what his message meant, but then I got a good look at him. And it wasn't America. This person had a face like America's and even had a similar haircut, albeit without the curled strand, but in the same way of close siblings. The man in front of us had browner hair and darker eyes than the America we knew.

"Who...are you?" I asked tentatively.

"America?" Prussia wondered, looking unsurely at the strangely familiar person before them.

"Heh..." He was breathing heavily. "Not quite... But I'm not surprised... Ol' Alfie hasn't told ya'll about me. I used to be called the...Confederate States of America, but please, just call me South or even Robert Lee Jones if you like."

Italy's eyebrows were knitted together and he was frowning in worry. He stood up and quickly made his way to the injured nation. "Oh no, you're hurt. What happened to you?" Spain joined Italy and supported South over to the spare chair next to me. I stood up and gave my seat up to the Spaniard while he and Italy began applying first-aid to the mass of injuries affecting South.

I found myself staring wordlessly at the three, mainly the middle country. It seemed too impossible to be a coincidence for South to appear _now_ of all times which must have meant... "Oh my goodness..."

South sucked air through clenched teeth as Italy cleaned one of the scratches on his cheek. The thin European winced himself and apologised in Italian before reaching to press the cotton to the American's face again.

"Well then. What brings you here, Bob?" I asked, sounding strangely calm compared to what was going on in my mind.

He shot me a quick withering look before chuckling mirthlessly. "Well...you see, sir...Our president is surely some character."

"Harris? What's wrong with him, eh?" Canada inquired, having reacted similar to me up until then, too shocked to do anything but stare at the injured man.

South's expression darkened. "To put it simply, 'Merica's in trouble. He needs ya'll's help."

"Aiyah," China said, exasperated. He gestured in South's direction. "This could easily be America in a disguise trying to prank us."

"YOU THINK THIS IS A PRANK!?" South bellowed at the older nation, holding his fist up so we could all see what he was gripping so tightly.

It was a brown jacket ripped up and covered in the faint traces of blood that we could all recognise. But the large '50'emblazoned the back was visible while the soft collar was clearly bundled up in South's hand. It was America's favourite jacket.

Canada clamped his hand over his mouth while America's message echoed in my mind, ringing with the now undeniable truth.

"S-So it's true? The message was real?" I met South's eyes but it was Japan who spoke.

"What message is this?" Japan queried.

"Oh right. That's the main reason I called this meeting in the first place. Earlier this morning I received an answer phone message form Alfred. I wanted you all here in the first place to sort this mess or...to do as he wished and save him."

"Woah, woah, woah. What? _Us_ having to save _him_?" Prussia looked at me with an exaggerated confused expression to convey how silly it sounded as if nobody else felt the same.

"He'd usually want us to stay it was vice versa," said France.

"Arthur. I think it would be most beneficial if you just show us the message." Germany was frowning with concern through his stoicism but already ready to take charge.

I nodded. I took my phone out from my jacket pocket then slid it onto the long dining table, turning up the volume and projecting America's voice across the room.

It was even worse for me the second time around. America's voice wavered with panicked breathing and you could hear his fear, no matter the attempts to hide it. It felt so odd to all the countries to listen to their exuberant comrade sound that way.

" _Uh, Arthur...this is Alfred. By the time you get this message you...you won't be able to reach me but I need help. Please, gather as many of them as you can. I can't be the hero. Not this time. I..._ " and he was cut off sharply, abruptly silencing the room.

South was staring at the now-black screen in horror. He held the back of his neck with and looked like a monster had crawled out from the glass before hurriedly grabbing one of the drinks I'd put out for the guests and proceeding to drown himself in iced tea.

Canada stared at the phone with wide eyes and a creased forehead. His hand had been resting tiredly on the polished wood up until that point but now it was clenched into a fist. "I'm going to show that stupid _bastard_ what happens when you mess with my brother. " He spoke quietly and slowly at first but its volume quickly rose. "When we find _Harris_ , how about we shove my hockey stick so far up him it comes out of his _damned_ throat, eh!?"

Silence. Heads turned slowly towards the Canadian, all their mouths gaping at least slightly in shock at his words.

"C-Canada...!" France stuttered, his face utterly petrified in surprise.

We all continued staring at the seething brother until Germany cleared his throat loudly to redirect the attention. "Anyways...We need a plan to get to America."

"He should be in the White House," Canada informed, recovered and now ready to go and save America. But I shook my head, stroking my chin in thought.

"Probably. But it's not like we'd be able to just walk up to the front door if President Harris is as dangerous as we think he is. The only way to get into the White House straightforwardly would be with Alfred's help, and that's impossible."

Romano scoffed, crossing his arms. "No duh, captain obvious."

"Lovi..." his brother sighed.

"Does this mean we can't do anything?" Ukraine asked sadly but while the other nations exchanged worried glances, South shook his head determinedly.

"Yes, Robert?" Germany prompted.

"S-Sir. We may not be able to go in the traditionally way but, America has a secret passageway to the White House in his home."

My eyes widened optimistically. "The one in New York or Virginia?"

"The one in Virginia. We may have to be carefully though. Alfie didn't want to make it so anybody could get through to his capital so it'll be loaded with traps."

"That doesn't matter though," Russia said cheerily. "It'll be no problem for other countries, да?"

France smiled reassuringly in the direction of his little brother. "So no need to worry." Canada did return the smile but there was still quite a bit taking up the younger nation's current train of thought.

Germany stood up and glanced around the room assertively. "Good. We'll have to fly to his house in Virginia as soon as we can then from there we can go to Washington."

"That won't do," I interjected.

Germany met his green eyes from across the room. "What do you mean? I can't see any other way we would do this, since we're going on what Robert is saying."

"I'm not doubting Bob in the slightest," South shot me another pointed stare I couldn't see what he thought was wrong, "but I think we should send the least amount of people needed to carry out this operation. We need to be covert and I don't believe fourteen nations breaking into the White House would be."

"You bastards can go on your little operation without me. I've got better things to do," Romano grumbled unconvincingly.

"Then I'll stay behind with Lovino. You'll need some reinforcements if things go badly anyway," Spain grinned in reply, furthering the grumpy Italian's annoyance.

"Hey, how 'bout Hungary, Austria and the _awesome_ me help from the outside?"

Hungary agreed with Prussia, flashing the others a thoughtful smile. "I should be able to get some help." Austria hummed his approval and took a sip from the delicate teacup put in front of him.

China said something along the same lines of Romano, albeit in much nicer wording, then I counted the heads of all those who hadn't volunteered to stay. "Hmm...nine. That could do."

Ukraine looked nervously at him. "Do you need me?"

Russia interrupted me before I could even open my mouth. The tall country was wearing a wavering and nervous smile while his lavender eyes darted to and from the woman staring obsessively at him to his right. "I think you and Belarus should stay behind where it's safe."

 _For whom_? I added mentally with a small internal smirk. Belarus looked about to protest but her sister rested a calming hand on the younger's shoulder and she relented.

"I know you won't be hurt," she said finitively to him instead of asking Russia to reassure her.

"Will that do, England?" Germany asked.

I scanned each of the remaining participants before losing his teasingly placed disappointed look. "I couldn't have asked for much more," I said with a smile before I turned back to South, "Thank you. Now, let's all hope we can dispose of your president before any lasting harm is done." I clapped once to signify the meeting's end and the two different groups separated, each preparing to do their part to rescue America.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry guys. It seems like these chapters will be shorter than I intended them to be. At the moment finding the time to write is pretty difficult even when I want to so in order not to have month long gaps they'll be about 1,500 words each for now.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoy! :D**

 **Canada**

"Here it is: Alfie's home," South announced happily.

It was a very large house accompanied by greenery that was bursting with flowers. Pink shrubs lined the front face and the large square double doors were decorated with fancy wall-mounted lights either side of them. It was grey stone with a vibrantly tiled roof in comparison but I was looking at the delicate-looking flowers bunched up in the window boxes. Despite their pretty white-yellow colour they looked slightly wilting in proof of how long it had been since someone had last lived here. I knew America stayed in his New York house more often than not but it was troubling to see something as simple as some daisies going unwatered.

The eight nations were walking down the wide stone path leading up to it but we all stopped once we reached the large rectangular fountain poking out of the middle. Lilly pads surfed gently on the bubbling water as three fountains spouted from the water continuously. At least that hadn't gone yet.

"It's not as big as I thought it would be, да?" Russia noted, his constant smile not wavering. I wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved that he didn't seem concerned about America having been captured.

 _I_ was still very worried for him but I was trying not to get too angry since I was actually embarrassed from my little outburst before. We _were_ going to get America back from Harris and most of us were probably intending to make something bad happen to him on our way but I knew that getting so violent about it wouldn't help.

England stared at the house with a little wisp of a smile but his wide eyebrows greatly revealed his wistful expression. "It brings up...old times..." The happy past shone through his emerald-like eyes but his face held true to the small sadness at remembering he was gone, the first and second time.

"Robert. Where is the hidden passage located?" Germany asked South, quick to get going.

I smiled and turned to South expectantly. "Not a clue," he admitted and we all stared at the American incredulously.

"What?!"

"You what? You brought us all the way here without even knowing where the bloody door is?" England exclaimed.

South shrugged apologetically and I sighed. "I'm sure we'll find it if we just look inside. His house shouldn't be too big for the eight of us."

France winked at me. " _Oui_ , Canada is right. Surely it won't take very long if we just split up."

"Good. Let's get started." Germany began marching determinedly up to the door but I had to hurriedly dart in front of him since only I knew where America always hid his keys and it wouldn't be very good for America if the German blonde kicked the door down.

I fished the key ring out from under the welcome mat and pushed the door open for the others. Germany power walked into America house but then quickly halted. His fixed face suddenly melted into a warm smile and he spread his arms, welcoming the cute small dog which bounded up to him.

Germany hugged the dog and petted it lovingly, his love of dogs radiating from him like light from the sun. The dog barked happily and butted its head affectionately against Germany's jaw. There was a collective, even if it wasn't necessarily audible, 'nawww' from all of us but South's eyes lit up.

"Bacon! I can't believe you're here," he exclaimed. "Haven't seen you in a while."

France chuckled quietly. England rolled his eyes and smiled, "Why does this not surprise me?"

I smiled softly. "Oh, Al..."

Russia chuckled. "Awww. That's adorable." Our eyes all turned from Bacon the dog to the tall country. His pale face slowly reddened under our confused gazes and he rushed to bury his chin in his scarf. "T-the dog. He's adorable, д-да? Quiet adorable," he added.

The rest of us continued to stare, France's smile turning into a suggestive smirk and England raising one of his massive eyebrows, but South's head whipped around in confusion. "What? What's so wrong with his dog?"

"Oh, no. It's not the dog. It's just so much like America to name his dog after food," the Englishman chortled in good spirit, waving off South's concern.

Bacon whimpered longingly at the sound of America's name and France gave the dog a pitying look. "Aw. You want to find _Amérique_ , don't you?"

Bacon's ears flattered and he whimpered sadly, nodding. England glanced back at us just as I started petting the dog in Germany's arms. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. We'll make sure the little lad comes back."

Bacon's brown ears perked up and his tail wagged eagerly. He straightened up in Germany's arms and leapt into England's. A small cry escaped the former's lips as Bacon showered the Brit's face in kisses, barking happily and noisily for his owner.

"It's Alfred's dog, alright," I noted cheerfully as we all watched Bacon lovingly paw at England who was beginning to look quite panicked under the sudden barrage.

"You're happy! You're happy! I get it! Get off!"

It wasn't too long before Germany went to rescue him, and England was pretty grateful as well. Bacon fell to the floor and began running around the carpet like a hyperactive wind-up toy, yipping insistently and wagging his tail.

"C'mon, everyone. We need to get searching," I instructed.

South agreed. "Al only has the two floors anyways so we could all search it, even if we team up."

" _Wunderbar_. Matthew, are you good going with both Francis and Arthur?"

I nodded, my eyes flittered back to the two countries in question but it wasn't as if it was the first time I'd played mediator for them.

"Ivan? Robert? You two can go with me which leaves Feliciano to go with Kiku. Are there any objections?"

We all shook our heads simultaneously before going off with our respective nations. France, England and I stayed while the others left the room so we could search the two doors on the far wall. It didn't take the others very long to clear out so we were all alone before that minute had even ended.

"Alright, let's get started, shall we?" England announced, his forest-coloured eyes darting around to scan it quickly in case the passage was obvious. Sadly, he found nothing except for Bacon bounding around the room like the sped-up footage of a wind-up toy. Bacon was a very cute dog but I was quite biased since I thought Kumajirou was cuter.

I started strolling towards the second door but then I heard England groan. "Oh no. The dog's made a mess on the carpet."

I looked down and saw England wrinkling his nose at the sight of Bacon. My eyebrows knitted together. "Al's not going to like that."

"Indeed. France, can you get some water or something? If Alfred hasn't changed it since, the door to your left should be the loo."

France nodded and turned the door handle. He walked inside the small looking room and turned the light before shutting it again. I looked over to England who'd started to search the bookcase while he waited, glancing several times to Bacon and then to the door in impatience. Germany would be right to be worried based on their behaviour during meetings but I knew from the past how the two of them could work together pretty well if they were both after the same thing.

France sighed and came out, holding a small bottle of bathroom cleaner he'd filled with water. "There's nothing else in there."

England shut the book. "Aaand nothing here. Goodness, doesn't America have anything past the nineteenth century?"

"Arthur...Why are you searching his books?"

England looked to France with an odd expression as if the Frenchman had just said something silly. "Haven't you seen one of Alfred's films? If anyone was going to put a tunnel in the most cliché place invented it would be him." He sighed. "But it looks as if he isn't even that unoriginal."

"Despite him still keeping his key under the welcome mat," said France.

I chuckled quietly before quickly returning to my original plan, going through the other door. The two had begun turning everything else in the room upside down so I felt that they'd do fine without me.

* * *

 **EDIT: Thank you so much to Astrarea for pointing out a fatal flaw, however funny it turned out to be.**

 **Instead of hugging Bacon, turns out I had "Germany hugged the _door_ and petted it lovingly"**

 **How the frick did I miss that?**


	4. Chapter 4

**3,000 words. Because f_ consistency :P**

 **Despite this being _way_ longer than the others I hope you enjoy regardless of my inability to stay in the same mindset for more than one chapter at a time ;D**

* * *

 **Veneziano Italy**

"Hey, Ludwig," South sounded slightly anxious about using Germany's casual name but the latter had insisted since this wasn't official business or anything. "This leads Alfie's basement. Do you think we should check it out?" South was pointing to one of the doors wedged in between the large amount of bookshelves lining the corridor's far walls. Germany stopped, looked to the door in question then glanced inquisitively to the American.

"It depends whether we can get it open or not," he said open-endedly as he walked towards to the door. He grabbed the handle with one hand and though the door rattled quite noisily it didn't sound like it had opened. "It's locked. We'll have to look around for a key."

"Or we could use a little bit more force," Russia smiled, holding a suddenly-appeared pickaxe over his shoulder.

"Woah! Y'all can't just go around knocking Alfie's doors down. He'll be coming back here after all."

Germany nodded. "Robert's right. We need to do this without breaking it down. I suggest we..."

I stopped listening when a small tug on my sleeve redirected my attention from Germany onto my other friend. "We should begin searching the second floor. Ludwig, Russia and Robert are capable of handling this floor while we search the other," Japan instructed.

I agreed cheerily and spun on the spot so I could follow him. We headed down the corridor and up the staircase until we ended up on the second floor. Japan and I wandered around for a small bit since we weren't sure where to begin searching. Japan didn't seem to want to intrude on America without reason so he was being cautious about which room to enter while I just kept by and kept my eyes peeled.

I noticed a lot of funny things that I hadn't expected to find in America's home, like an old globe, paintings of places before his time and a portrait of him as a cute, little fidgety-looking child, England resting a hand on his shoulder. His expression was mostly proud but the artist had captured the slight scolding aura England must have been using to keep the little nation still. The background was a beautifully blue sky like the feather's a peacock while small clouds danced with the strokes of the brush similarly to froth on a wave. I loved the painting even if it was very weird to see England look so...happy, especially since he was also so grumpy.

I was thinking about who the painter was when Japan spoke up. "Feliciano. This is Alfred's bedroom," Japan announced, holding the door open for me. I beamed in gratitude and made my way inside. Even though America had invited us at all one point to his home in New York I hadn't been to this house before so it was nice to explore it.

All the house's rooms had the same feel to them and America's bedroom was no different. This house was definitely from when he was younger because the wallpaper, decorations and furniture were all much more muted than any of us were used to seeing from him. The double bed was old looking with a light wooden frame and pretty soft green blankets. Two slightly wilting crocuses stood alone with a blue ceramic vase each, a small clean fireplace held no signs of recent use and the four separate cupboards were paired up on the opposite sides of the room.

My eyes met a golden-brown reflection of themselves and my head whipped back to Japan on my side. "I hope nothing comes out of this," I said. Japan went along with my sentiments since he and Germany had listened to me recounting my nightmare from a few days ago.

The train of thought in my brain moved onto the next station and I strolled over to the adorable grey teddy bear. When I picked it up for closer inspection I saw that the fake fur had become coarse in patches, battle scars from when it was putting up with young America, but it still had a smile embroidered onto its face with a button nose and shiny button eyes.

I carefully put it back down on the carpet but while I was on the floor I decided to rearrange it's ragdoll arms so it seemed ready to give someone a hug. I wondered whether America would return it when we got him back.

"Feliciano?" Japan called to me.

I shuffled over to him, not needing to stand up since my black-haired friend was kneeling on the floor and inspecting the low part of the wall. In actuality, it wasn't part of the wall at all. A small metal handle jutted out of a not-very-well-painted wooden square. I reached out and traced the metal hinges with a finger before looking back to Japan with a small smile expectantly.

Japan twisted the handle and poked his head inside the dark space the open trapdoor revealed. My head soon joined his and in a moment both our eyes adjusted to the darkness softened by the bedroom's ceiling light. All the colour in our skin flooded from our skin as our faces simultaneously paled. My mouth flopped open in shock, the only movement I was capable of doing then, before we both shot back out.

I leapt backwards to the centre of the room and my hands flew to my eyes like metal squares to a very big magnet. I wailed and shook my head fiercely in a failed attempt to physically shake the images from my mind.

Japan had a less loud reaction than mine but his face twitched in surprise of the bad kind. "I-I didn't know Alfred was into that kind of anime..." he stuttered, his face going from ghost white to a red apple blush. And we decided to leave it at that. I nudged the door shut with my foot and rushed to move the teddy to in front of the door so no-one would make the same mistake as we did.

I head whipped around and I forced a grin at Japan while the words stumbled from my mouth faster than I ran away from England. "Let's go to one of the other rooms now so we can get away from this room and I don't see any passages around here anyway so, _pasta_!" Yelling something random at the end seemed to do the trick because after it we were darting out of America's bedroom and into the room to its right.

The room was a lot less spacious than America's due to the more rectangular shape and bookcases jammed against every wall, only pausing three times to allow a chest of drawers, a bed and a cupboard. The floor was wooden with a long fuchsia carpet centrally placed but the effect was this room feeling colder and less homely than the first.

"Feliciano, could you help me search the books. Maybe we could find some clues about their owner."

I playfully saluted at Japan, "s _i signore_ ," then went off. I felt really sorry for Canada and England so I was perfectly happy helping them find America, even if I was a bit frightened of America's president now. My boss wouldn't do anything that mean to me but it must be really bad to have one turn on you like this.

I put on my serious face and started combing the book covers for anything interesting. I rocked back and forth while holding onto the case absent-mindedly as I read. The titles were old but they were in English so it wasn't anything unusual for the American. "'Alice in Wonderland', 'Alice through the Looking Glass', 'The Wizard of Oz'..." I stopped listing for a moment and leaned back, craning my head to meet Japan's eyes while keeping my feet and hands on the bookshelf's wood. "Hey, Kiku. Aren't these books from Arthur's house?"

Japan closed the book he was reading and assented. "The books are in English but they're definitely Arthur's stories." To prove his point he held up what he'd been staring at for me to see. I squinted but couldn't read it from the other side of the room even if I tried so I sauntered back over to Japan so I could. It was a small message written in careful, small handwriting in order not to disturb the page itself.

 _For America. I know you are lacking some entertainment so I decided to send over what's popular at my house currently._

It was England's handwriting. We both knew that much from whenever the holidays come around. England usually sent Japan a card but sent a 'Please do not disturb' letter to the rest of us. America and I usually ignored it because Christmas was a time to spend with others in happiness.

"What's the book's name?" I asked.

Japan closed the book again and held turned it around so he could see the cover. It showed a young boy with round glasses with a bizarre scar beneath a jet-black fringe.

"Oh, I know this one! _La Pietra Filos_! Maybe that means this is Arthur's old room." My eyes danced around in my head while I searched for more clues. I stopped abruptly.

"Arthur must have sent this to Alfred quite a while ago. It's a fairly old book now."

I frowned. "That can't be."

Japan nodded his head. "More than twenty years now."

"No, I meant it can't have been sent a quite ago. Look at it." I pointed at the bookcase and then Japan noticed what I'd seen. It was jammed full of English classics dusted with age and then you had the modern book.

Japan's face sparked with the realisation light bulb and he flattened out his palm. He carefully balanced the book by its spine on his hand and let go, letting it flop open. The paper split and presented the object stuck in between the pages, a thin metal key. Japan picked it up and inspected it.

"I wonder what this open."

I beamed. "It's probably for the secret tunnel!" But just as I started to search again the door burst open.

* * *

 **Germany**

"I suggest we search the other room on this floor then we can join Feliciano and Kiku on the second floor."

South sighed. "Yeah, I get y'all. Alfie's office is around here after all. Probably."

"'Probably'? For our guide you seem to be unsure," Russia noted.

South shot the Russian an annoyed look. "This isn't _my_ house. I only knew 'bout the tunnel in the first place because Alfie just happened to mention it one time."

Russia didn't say anything back in response, leading to an awkward couple of seconds while South and I waited for something to fill the silent void.

"Urgh," I breathed before addressing the other two. "It doesn't matter. We're just wasting time so we might as well go to Alfred's office."

The two agreed nonverbally and joined me as we made our way to the door to our right, trying my best to stay calm. South and Russia were acting far too much like America and Russia for my liking. I wondered how long it would take before I would inevitably have to become a peacekeeper.

America's office wasn't exactly how I'd imagined it to be. If I was honest with myself I'd expected it to be much messier with many more screens. In actuality the red carpeted room was rather bare, with most of the paperwork I would have expected piled up on a single table. The chair was propped up against the wall to make room for a wooden chest. Upon inspection, it looked like it was supposed to slide out from under the desk but someone had left it halfway. Robert immediately made a beeline for the box which left me and Russia to search the rest of the room. Russia went to search through the lone bookshelf slotted into the corner so I decided to look through America's paperwork.

I briefly ducked my head inside the stone fireplace opposite the door but since there was nothing but darkness I concluded that there wasn't anything of interest there. I coughed into my fist, the chimney had been full of dust, but then I glanced back. There were a lot of cobwebs and dust, but no soot.

I strolled over to the desk and Robert looked up to me. He was on one knee in order to search through the chest properly but shuffled out of the way when he saw me coming.

" _Danke_." South smiled briefly in response but before he could return back to his search I spoke up again. "Robert, have you found anything interesting yet?"

"Not really. I don't know why Alfie'd have a box like this if he wasn't going to put anything important in it." South chuckled and held up one of the objects for me to see. It took from his hand and laughed quietly. It was an autograph from one of the costumed performers at one of his theme parks.

"I guess it depends on your perception of important," I chortled back, handing the paper back to South.

"Yeah. But I just hope we actually find something."

"I hope so too, especially since you told us about here," Russia added cheerfully, not looking away from the book in his hand.

I groaned internally. Why did the Americas and Russia have to act this way regardless of circumstance?

"That's why he's helping us," I said, attempting neutrality. I focused back to the papers in my hands and started reading.

The three of us worked in silence for the next couple of minutes, each searching our designated areas, undisturbed by the others. However, America's paperwork was very similar to my own, albeit in English instead of German, but besides from that all I found were basic plans for the country. I had to admit that it _was_ interesting to discover what the USA had been doing in its isolation but there was nothing I wouldn't have expected from it. It seemed like most of the work America had been doing was to pay off debt, become self-sufficient, strengthen its internal working and military, nothing particularly unusual. I smiled with half-hearted exasperation. Even when he wasn't in contact with anyone America still couldn't resist showing off his massive army.

I sighed, putting down the sheets in my hands and arranging them in orderly piles on America's desk. "Have either of you two discovered anything new?" I queried.

Russia met my eyes. "I could not find any secret tunnel, but America does happen to like reading up about..." He turned back to the bookcase and began to recite. "Rome, Britain, Turkey, Spain, France, Portugal, China, Japan...Oh, and me. That's flattering."

My forehead creased in confusion. "That's an... _odd_ selection. I never realised Alfred would be into history that much, considering how much he likes to live very much in the present." I stroked my chin while I thought. "There don't seem to be many connections between the countries."

"Doesn't make a whole lot of sense that Alfie'd read up on all them. I can't get the connection either, Ludwig," said South.

"So what has America been working on, Ludwig?" Russia asked.

I crossed my arms. "Paying off his debt mostly. Apparently Harris, at least, did a good job with the US considering how he managed to do so. From what I've gathered, they had been working towards self-sufficiency and improving their armies internally." I glanced down to South. "Is this correct?"

The corners of South's mouth tightened. "Yeah. I don't get as involved as Alfie in politics but that's definitely the truth. Don't ask me why we're getting a bigger army when we're not dealing with other countries anymore but I also assumed Harris had wanted to protect the US." His voice's facade disappeared towards the end, leaving him sounding frustrated and bitter at his past.

South shook his head. "Anyway, back to what I've been doing. There's a bunch of notes and souvenirs Alfie collected in here but there are two I think y'all would like to see." He got to his feet, holding a different book in each hand.

The one he handed to me looked like a worn and older looking journal bound in moss-green. It looked like America's handwriting so I didn't hesitate to flick through. As I did so I saw in my peripheral vision that South had handed a modern and recently-bought notepad with a clean, glossy American flag cover with a clear message written on the small rectangle of paper stuck on as a title, 'Tim Work' to Russia. Russia took it with a curious expression and began to read just like me. We voiced particularly intriguing passages aloud but a few of them were quite odd.

The journal was simple, nothing but accounts of his day written inside an old book borrowed from his old days. Although, what Russia read was much stranger. It was a compilation of opinions and memories all about _us_. It was nothing damaging, most of it sounded like compliments phrased in his traditionally self-concentrated way, but it sounded so unlike America to just have written that.

Russia shut the notebook and gazed at the cover with unfocused eyes, his expression unreadable with thought. I was about to follow his example since not only hadn't the journal brought any new information to light but it looked as if America had given up writing just past the middle point as well. However, as the pages flashed by my eyes as blank as a British winter sky the sudden black amongst the white caught me. I pushed all the paper to one side so I could concentrate solely on the final page. The writing was upside down so it looked as if America had the book facing the wrong way when he was writing.

My breath became quiet. It felt so tiny that I almost believed it had stopped for a movement. I wouldn't have been surprised. I spoke the words but they echoed unnaturally in my head.

 _Found this again. What the hell's going on? Why'd Tim get so defensive over me going over Matt's house? I need a vacation too. I did loads for him. I'm going to bring this up next meet. Matt's cool + he's not going to invade any time soon._

There was a small gap in time, recognisable by the sudden change in handwriting. It was still America's but it was rushed and less formatted.

 _Crap. Crap. Crap. Harris is crazy. Leaving key in Iggy's room. He won't know. Message South since Harris doesn't know. Won't be coming back for while. Call Iggy/Matt ASAP._

I couldn't speak. My eyes snapped to South's grey ones.

"England's room."

I darted from the office and sprinted to the second floor, South and Russia following closely.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**Veneziano Italy**

I cried out in fear. Even if you knew that they were all actually very friendly people it still was really scary seeing Russia, South and Germany all run into the room you were in.

"Ah! Don't hurt me!" I yelled automatically.

Germany halted and all the urgency in his expression gave way to the reassuring and frustrated mix he often wore around me. "Feliciano, we're not going to hurt you," he said in the tone of a sigh but also with a smile, forgetting just for that moment that he'd crashed in for a reason.

"Ludwig, what is the problem here?" Japan asked, his eyes wide with the lingering shock from the trio's abrupt entry.

"Have y'all found a key here?" South glanced around but Japan called his attention back by presenting the newly-found key, still holding the book in his other hand.

"Thank goodness," he said. "Now we can leave."

I cocked my head. "Have you found the tunnel? _Brillante_!"

"Yeah. We need to go. Now," South reiterated, trying to hurry everything along.

"What did you discover?" Japan inquired, the three tall nations' concern not flying over his head at all.

"Harris is 'crazy', but America knows he's 'crazy'. We've started to doubt that he has much time if he stays in the White House any longer," Russia explained.

I made a sound very much like a mouse's squeak. Poor America. He must be so scared, or at least I would be in his situation. I swallowed. "Let's go." I tried smiling past my fear, maybe I'd at least convince South with it.

Germany gave me an approving nod. "The key you two found should unlock the basement door."

"Дa. So we're almost a third through our plan. We'll be done before we know it." And with the Russian's motivation they followed each other out of England's room and back down to the ground floor.

"Big brother Francis~" I called out in a sing-song voice. "We've found the key so you can come back now!"

There wasn't a response straight away. I had a slight frown from worry as everyone was quiet, listening out for any sounds that would give us a clue to where the missing three were. While my ears watched out my eyes danced around, absently finding something to focus on. It was a fun game just to notice things, Japan always told me to try it.

I didn't notice many new things since the ground floor's walls were pretty bare compared to the second but it was fun to find that there was actually a little note carved into the wooden panelling, like something America had done as a child. I strolled forwards to take a better look but stopped after a sudden sound made me bolt upright with a small, 'Eek'.

The sound was muffled by the many walls but then it got louder, like someone had opened a door. " _You...dy wan..._ What the hell was that for!?"

"You almost blew us up, _Angleterre_!"

"I didn't blow you up. All I did was go _near_ the damn thing and you f..."

"Arthur, Francis didn't mean to punch you," said a much quieter voice, Canada's.

"Like hell he didn't!"

"We both panicked."

" _Oui_. That's all it was."

"Stop smirking then!"

England stormed into our view, followed closely by Canada and France. England had a slowly fading red mark standing out against the paler skin. He was fuming but as he and the two French-speaking nations came into better view I began to see it was pretty literal.

The back ends of England's wheat-blonde hair were tinged with faint blackness but it looked a bit worse with France and Canada. Both of them had a singed side to their face and had almost shell-shocked expressions through the annoyance and concern respectively as given away by their wide eyes and small pupils.

"Uh, what..." Germany coughed into his fist to gather his composure. "What happened with you three?" he asked, looking mostly to England. England was definitely looking more how I was used to rather than the cheery painting upstairs.

"The twa... _France_ , punched me while I was searching the kitchen."

Already I saw the faces around me fall, not looking very surprised at all.

"Francis, can you give me an explanation?"

"I doubt I need to." France gestured to his face and scowled. " _Angleterre_ was toying around with something I thought would have been _banned_ at his home, since it is so dangerous in his hands, and it ended up with Mathieu and me getting burned because of it."

"I-I'm really okay, Francis," Canada said quietly, not wanting to cause a fuss.

"But look at you, Mathieu," France protested. He turned and opened his mouth, about to launch another mass of insults at England, but Germany held up his clenched fist to stop him.

" _Nein_!" he stressed. "We've wasted enough time as it is! We have found the key to America's basement, so we are going."

I smiled in relief. Even though it was scary when he shouted, Germany was really good at getting everyone else to stop.

"Let's go!" I cheered.

South's tired look left his face and became more determined. He turned and unlocked the door while we all briefly waited. As he did so Canada had strategically moved himself in between the two blondes shooting eye daggers.

Germany glanced back to check whether I was coming so I quickly walked up to him and into the basement.

"Goodness. Alfred sure knows how to make a mess, doesn't he?" was England's immediate reaction to the basement.

You had to squint to see through the uninterrupted shadows since there weren't any lights expect for the ones in the corridor and the place smelt of old. Boxes upon boxes and crates upon crates were piled on top of each other and scattered across the massive space acting as the basement. A lot of the mess came from all the things _not_ packed away. The air was heavy with darkness and smelt of the stuffy air found in places that have never seen the sky. It felt like a great hand clamping its entirety around my head. I didn't like it at all.

Germany caught my flickering eyes and made his way to my side as we all walked through the odd basement. It was always comforting to have someone as strong and kind by my side, even if it was to stop me running away if something scary appeared. At least he'd be there to fight it in that case, so maybe I wouldn't have to run. This thought brought a fresh wave of smiling to my face.

The eight of us slowly made our way through the maze formed out things America hadn't put away properly. I had to step over old uniforms, a lot of old books, a few wooden rocking horses and even a chemistry set. I wasn't quite sure where America got _that_ from. Japan had suggested closing the door behind us in case someone hostile came to America's Virginia House which made things a bit safer but it also meant that none of us could see more than a metre in front of ourselves.

 _CRASH!_

I yelped and stooped low hurriedly, quick to help whoever had fallen. " _Ti senti bene_?"I rushed to ask if they were okay but they were equally fast to dismiss me.

" _Ja_ , _Ja_. Don't worry, I'm fine," Germany muttered, his blushing almost making his face visible like a glow. His foot had snagged an old rifle sticking out of a splintered crate and was now lying in a pile of even older toys.

I extended my hand to him which he took, hoping the dark would have covered his shame. "Don't worry, Captain. My lips are sealed."

Now we were standing close to each other again I saw that he was grateful for this. I glanced down and looked at the toys sadly. "Though it is a shame about the toys."

Germany opened his mouth to say something but before he said anything someone walked right into him, almost sending him to the floor for the second time in less than a minute. He wasn't sent flying but there was another breaking sound

"Sorry! Sorry!" the person apologised immediately. Germany didn't respond immediately and Canada looked confused until he followed the blue-eyed gaze to the floor where Germany's boot was squashing a warm brown, plush toy bunny.

He retracted his foot and looked regretfully to Canada. " _E-es tut mir leid_..." he apologised.

Canada squinted through his glasses at the rabbit. I knelt down and helped him tuck all the toys back away into what was left of the box.

"They're Alfred's, not mine, so you shouldn't really be apologising to me, eh? But then again, it's not like he plays with Chocolate anymore." Canada sighed while we packed Chocolate and the other toys away. He helped me back onto my feet and smiled softly.

I looked back to the rabbit. Because it was a soft toy it recovered well from being on the wrong side of Germany's boot but it did seem a bit wider across the stomach now. "If I was in Alfred's place, I'd want to have someone like Chocolate with me. I'd almost definitely be scared stiff without someone there to talk to."

Canada stared at me for a moment. His amethyst eyes were frozen in thought, dimmed slightly with sadness, but he shook himself out of it, returning to a more self-depreciating expression to hide it. "Y-Yeah. I'd probably be really lonely. Thankfully Al's a bit more energetic than me. It'll take a bit more than this to get him down." From his words I guessed that he was trying to joke but his tone didn't convey that at all.

"C'mon. Let's get going," Canada encouraged, gesturing forwards.

I nodded and the three of us walked side by side through the unintentional makeshift maze. We were about halfway through at that point but the room was still much, much, _much_ bigger than I thought it could be.

I was about to say something about it when Canada actually spoke up again. "It would be so scary if _my_ boss did something like this. I just can't imagine him doing anything like it. It's so absurd, eh?" he said quietly and thoughtfully.

There was a painfully feeling in the back of my mouth. To be specific, it felt like the odd stiffness you got just before crying. My eyes were definitely dry and the feeling only lasted for a few seconds but it was long enough to silence me. I blinked rapidly. It was so odd and I really didn't like it. It hurt.

I slowed my walking a bit so Canada was ahead of me and I was next to Germany. He and Japan often said I couldn't 'read the mood' but empathy did help. It was only really when they were serious. I reached up and rested my hand on his upper arm since it would be too awkward to pat his shoulder. He was tenser than usual. But then he noticed me and relaxed, or at least pretended to.

I spoke quietly. "You okay, ca...?" I stopped short, realising it wouldn't be good to say with him like that.

" _Ja_ ," he said shortly. I saw his light blue eyes harden. "We need to stop this as soon as possible, Feliciano."

He increased his stride which meant I had to double-time it. We caught back up to the others without crashing into anything else but the atmosphere was more sombre, the lack of light getting to everyone.

"Well, talking about bosses, I told mine that I absorb power from the earth. That way I can take a siesta and he thinks I'm working. It's much more relaxing now," I said cheerily.

France smirked. "And he actually believed you? Now I almost want to try it. It would be _magnifique_ if I could get a bit more relaxation nowadays."

"Francis. Not you too," Germany chastised.

"Come on, Ludwig. It's important to stop working once in a while," I defended.

"This is why..." Germany began, irritated.

"Hey, everyone! Bob found the exit!" England announced.

In the corner of my eye, I noticed Canada was wearing a small smile. I smiled too to join him just before Germany began shepherding us and France towards the door. He looked happier now, thank goodness. But now was the harder part, the White House.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next on God Bless America: Frickin' tunnels and the White House!**

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	6. Chapter 6

**England**

"Why the _bloody hell_ is this maze so long?" I grumbled under my breath.

We'd all long since grown tired of the stale, underground air and my eyes were irritated from the seldom interrupted dark. Dim lanterns were hung on the wall every few feet or so but none of them were doing their job particularly well. Old stone surrounded us in a series of many long, thin corridors that formed a massive labyrinth.

"We're going from Virginia to D.C. I'd be surprised if it was any shorter," said South.

"It's another dead-end. Go back," Canada announced in a tired voice.

I glanced back to South. "He could have made it a bit easier on us and not have made it a maze."

"If it leads to the White House, then surely Alfred would want to secure the passage," Japan added, turning around to face the two with a sigh. "We can't blame him for wanting to defend his capital city."

"It'd still be nice if he'd put a map up somewhere," noted Italy and I couldn't help but agree. It would defeat the purpose but would undeniably be appreciated.

"All we have to do is continue until we find the exit. It's the only thing we can do at this point," Germany then admitted.

No-one actually said anything but the internal groan within each of us was apparent by the atmosphere looming over us. We'd almost reached an hour of wandering so we were all sick of being lost.

"Let's take a break for now. We should gather our thoughts so we can find the way out." Canada leant against the wall of a small opening and stared thoughtfully at the five corridors leading out of it.

We all accepted the break but couldn't help but remain disheartened. I rubbed my forehead and though but couldn't think of which way wouldn't end with a wall.

Germany scratched a small 'x' into the threshold with a piece of metal he'd picked up a while back. It looked like an old hinge and he'd been using it to track where we'd already explored. When the mark was decently visible he pocked the metal and joined the rough circle we'd formed.

"We've tested three out of the five doors from this room and all we've found are rats. We can continue doing things the way we are but it's too inefficient."

France nodded in agreement. "At this rate, it'll be midnight before we find a way."

"But it's not like we have any other options. We have to search until we find the exit. It's the only way at this point," Russia said.

"Hate to agree but that appears to be right," I confessed.

"Al would know the way but I guess he didn't have time to tell us personally." Canada readjusted his glasses idly. His eyes were dancing around behind them, trying to figure the way out.

"Yeah. And he probably didn't leave any clues behind so Harris' people couldn't follow him," South guessed. "The call to Artie was spur of the moment from the sound of it, meaning it's even less likely Alfie could've left us a hint."

I sighed, exasperated. "Leave it to him. He expects us to save him but made it as difficult as..."

"Quiet," Germany ordered. I scowled and was about to respond but then he caught me. He shushed me and I crossed my arms defiantly but kept an ear out as he was.

There was a small tapping sound, quiet from distance, but I couldn't identify what was causing it. Not until I noticed Germany's face light up like a Christmas tree.

"Bacon?" he called out hopefully.

"What?" I demanded incredulously just before the noise became close enough to identify, and close enough to jump on me. "Gah!" It wasn't my most dignified moment.

Bacon jumped onto my shoulder and dug his claws into my sleeve to stay in position as he assaulted my face with affectionate licks. I put up my other hand in an attempt to preserve my face from more 'kisses' but the dog just switched targets to my palm. Inevitable chuckles escaped my lips from the tickling so I caved in and hooked up arm under Bacon so he wouldn't fall.

"Yes, y-yes," I chortled. "L-Lovely to see you again as well."

"What's he doing here?" South wondered. "Didn't we close the door behind us?"

"I've heard that some pets learn to open doors. With Alfred being away in his New York house Bacon would have needed an easy way in and out, anyway," Canada speculated. He smiled. "Al didn't leave us without clues after all."

I rolled my eyes but returned the smile with consent. It was a rather convoluted way to show us the way but was showing us the way regardless.

"Come on, Bacon." Germany stepped forwards, an ear-to-ear smile hardly being contained, and plucked him off my shoulder. "Are you here to help us find, Alfred?"

At the sound of his owner's name, Bacon yipped joyfully. He leapt out of the German's arms and spun around in an excited circle, wagging his tail and barking. We all watched him dance about before turning back to the present dog-lover.

" _Los gehts_. Bacon, show us to the White House," Germany commanded.

Bacon paused and held out his nose, sniffing the air for any signs of America, before bounding into one of the unchecked corridors connected to the room. We ran after him, squinting to spot the brown fur in the low light, but moving with a confidence we hadn't had beforehand.

We passed more and more old stone brick walls and countless glowing lanterns on our chase through the American labyrinth. Bacon stopped briefly numerous times to give either us or him a break but we made our way forwards at a good pace. It was a great improvement to the trial-and-error stroll.

Bacon didn't hesitate at choices or ever have to backtrack. It was odd for such a little dog. Bacon was obviously very close to America but his knowledge seemed to be more than following a familiar smell. It seemed like America had brought Bacon this way previously. Was this where he brought him on walks or did he actually train Bacon for a scenario like this?

I glanced forwards at South and Germany, then momentarily behind me to glimpse at Russia. I'd been informed that the three of them had searched the office and their findings were troubling to say the least. If he'd been wary of Harris for longer than we'd originally thought then it wasn't so absurd to think he'd trained Bacon.

After another half hour of progress it finally ended. Bacon skidded to a halt in the centre of a much larger room than any of the others. Lights hanging from rope dotted the higher ceiling meaning it was well lit and the two side walls supported two separate piles of stacked barrels and crates. The air didn't feel quite as oppressive and didn't smell nearly as stale. Jutting out of one of the side walls, there was a shorter partition that didn't span the entire room. Thin beams of light shone into the cracks on the floor near the far wall, a tell-tale sign of something else giving way to brightness.

"Ve~" Italy sounded relieved. "I thought we would never get out."

Meanwhile, I was moving across the room. What I'd assumed was a simple wall turned out to hiding a wide wooden staircase. My eyes followed it up to a slightly blackened line of brick. A complete rectangle formed out of light stuck out of the darkness, hinting at the door loosely cut into it.

"There's an exit over here," I called to the others.

Germany knelt on one knee so he could pet Bacon's head more on the dog's level. "I'm sorry, Bacon, but I cannot let you come with us. It would be too dangerous."

Bacon flattened his ears and whimpered but could understand that Germany's bright blue eyes were serious. Germany patted his head and the dog went back on his way. He strolled towards the door but after a reassuring look back to the nations he ran off, returning to his home.

Germany stood up and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness that's over."

"We still have to actually rescue America, Ludwig," Russia reminded him.

"But still...That maze was awful. If it wasn't for Bacon we would've been stuck there," said Canada.

"Yes," I muttered, then louder I said, "I think Alfred and I have played too many magic dungeon games together. The damned maze almost cost him his 'heroes'."

"I thought Alfred stopped inviting you to play those," Canada noted.

My face blossomed with red. "How dare he do that? I know _real_ magic. I should be an honoured guest!" I huffed indignantly, revealing I wasn't quite as over the matter as I'd thought.

"I think that's why, _Angleterre_."

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"That is enough. This is not getting us any closer to finding America." Germany hushed us all. "From now on we need to concentrate. We cannot afford to give ourselves away in such hostile circumstances so _no bickering_."

France and I exchanged irritated glances before mutually relenting. Germany was right. Finding America was our priority and we couldn't waste time with arguing, thousand year old feud or not.

"Of course. Sorry for that."

" _Oui_."

"Looks like some of us may have to duck," warned South. He pushed the stone square and it swung open on eerily silence hinges. The exit reached up to just past my ribcage in height which meant it would be even more awkward for the taller of us like Russia and Germany.

Japan was standing in front of the entrance and stooped over to pass the threshold. "I think we may all have to." He straightened up on the other side and the rest of us were quiet as he surveyed the new area. All I could see clearly was a clean red carpet Japan was fast to assure us it was empty.

I waited for Canada, South and France to join Japan before following myself. I stepped into the White House with little confidence. We were all walking into a building full of people intending to foil our attempts and an insane president who'd already caught one nation.

I dusted myself off casually. Then again, not many people had much confidence against eight.

* * *

 **"And so it begins. The true quest for America's freedom has started with a single step," says a cool trailer voice I could never manage. But that's the joy of reading for you :D**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review with any comments, questions or suggestions because I really appreciate them all.**

 **Thanks you for reading! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Starting off with a small thing that a friend pointed out. When Russia said [** "We still have to actually rescue America, Ludwig," **] it wasn't a typo. In this fic the human names are sort of a sign of friendliness between the nations so even though someone like Germany would want to stress that they're allies, Russia and America still don't have that kind of relationship so they're still 'Russia' and 'America' to each other.**

 **Also, I'd like to point out this White House isn't going to be too accurate. I'm using the format presented in the game. Sorry :P**

 **But I hope you enjoy this chapter anyways! :D**

* * *

 **Canada**

Once everyone was ready and dusted off the eight of us took the moment to gather our thoughts again, and stop chuckling at the memories of Russia and Germany's attempts to get through the small square.

We were in some kind of private office. The carpet was red and blanketed in paper and books hurled to floor without any notion of tidiness. I spotted an empty bottle leaning against a file/book case so it wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine someone trying to get through quite a bit of work here. Two wooden clocks hanging from the wall ticked in unison and filled the silence with their metronomic noise alongside a large map of the USA that marked all the capitals and state lines. Canada and Mexico were as blank as the sea around it on that map but instead Hawaii and Alaska appeared in the south and north of the map respectively.

"We have to be careful. President Harris has amped up the security," South warned. His face was still covered in plasters from Italy's first-aid but the American's face was set in caution. He was more aware of the problems here than we were so I trusted his instinct.

"That means it's likely the next two floors up will be locked," I informed the others. I probably knew more about the White House than everybody but South, obviously, so hopefully we could avoid capture.

"Then where would we get the keys?" France asked but I confessed that I didn't know. It was the sad fact that none of them had ever really expected to be breaking into the White House under these circumstances.

"Don't forget to be careful. We know what we're dealing and we don't want history to repeat itself," Germany said. He began to walk forwards towards the door. There was no threat in the immediate area but despite this I noticed that he'd already reduced the noise his large boots made.

France walked alongside me at the front of our little pack. "Don't worry, Ludwig. We all know what we're doing."

I'd reached the door so I creaked it open, hoping to get a peek of what was waiting for us outside. I looked around and saw a small carpeted hall with a four other doors but then I made eye contact with the guard standing stiffly next to a flower vase.

We were both statues for a moment before we both unfroze spectacularly. His mouth widened, presumably to call for back-up or alert others about the trespassers, but unfortunately for him my panic was faster.

My momentum pushed the door all the way open which made room for me as I sped forwards. I racked my brain for safe ways to knock someone out but because I only had about a second to decide I didn't choose to best option. France slammed the door shut again to hide him and the others from being caught along with me. My arm flew out as I darted behind the guard and I wrapped my arm under his jaw line in a quick sleeper hold, careful not to cut off his windpipe as I did so. I held him there for a few struggling moments but thankfully it didn't take long for him to faint but I still felt under attack even after I eased him to the floor.

My eyes felt wide as I faced the office's door. "Francis? _C'est sûr_." I remembered the others, "It's safe, guys."

France stepped out into the hall cautiously before noticing the unconscious guard and exhaling in relief. " _Sacré bleu_..."

Germany rubbed the bridge his nose in exasperation. "That was what I consider the _opposite_ to careful..." He looked the guard up and down then gave me a somewhat approving look. "But you dealt with him quickly. Well done, Matthew."

"He won't be out for long. What do we do with him?" I asked, glancing down anxiously.

Russia held the office's door open for us to see back inside. "This room happens to be empty."

I looked between Germany and England, searching for their take on the matter. They had a brief silent conversation out of exchanging glances but it ended with England shrugging neutrally.

"Seems like the best idea. If we can't rely on him being out for long then hiding him seems to be the way to go for now. We can't afford to have him report us to Harris after all, especially since the point is to be covert."

The decision seemed to be made so I crouched down and brought the limp guard upright like I was supporting someone with a bad leg. South came and helped me pick the guard up. We were about to escort him into the office but then I noticed something. We'd moved his black jacket as we picked him up so now the silver key was no longer hidden from view. It was small but the small white string of woven metal tying it to his inner pocket gave it an air of importance.

I shifted so I was supporting with only one arm and reached for the key with my free. With a small tug the key undetached and sat peacefully in my clenched hand. I then continued and helped help lay him down on the red carpet of the office, trying to avoid the bottles, books and paperwork. Once the two of us were happy he wasn't more hurt than he needed to be we rushed out and slammed the door behind, aware of the unknown timer counting down on how long he'd stay out for.

We darted back out into the hall but South kept his hand gripped on the handle a while after the both of us had left the room. He scanned our expressions, asking for advice on what to do next.

"I mean, we can't just leave him. The door doesn't lock from the outside or the inside."

"We could…wedge something between the door and wall so it would stick," Japan suggested but he didn't look too confident at his own idea.

"Hmmm," France mused disappointedly. "And pushing something in front of the door wouldn't either. It would be a visible as a fly in milk *****.

We all tried coming up with an answer but it didn't seem like any of us could come up with anything better. My forehead creased in frustration. This was far too short of a hurdle to be tripping over, especially at the beginning. I didn't America to stay here for much longer but it definitely wouldn't be easy if it went on like this.

Russia shrugged nonchalantly. "If we have no other options..." He didn't need or try to finish his sentence since his actions gave us all the context we'd need.

He strolled forwards and gestured for South to let go of the handle, which he did albeit hesitantly. Russia wrapped both his hands around the hand and tugged it in his direction. The bending metal and splintering wood made it sound like a _very_ creaky door amplified by about ten times its volume. Russia had moved it partially off its hinges but acted as if it had been no different than pulling on a piece of string.

He let go and looked back to us. "Now it's misaligned. The door shouldn't move but he won't be trapped in there."

No matter how many times I saw it I was always surprised at the power Russia and America had. The rest of us were about as strong as an average person, maybe stronger, but when it came to those two it was always at least a bit unbelievable.

But I quickly forced myself back into serious mode. My eyes hardened in determination. "Thank you, Ivan. Now we can get going." I held out my hand and presented the key I'd taken from guard. "I'm pretty sure it unlocks the second floor."

"What? Where'd you find that?" Italy asked.

"The guard had it on him," I replied simply. I started to walk again, heading towards the exit, and the others followed me.

I breathed deeply to prepare myself then scanned the hall briefly. There were two more men guarding this hall, standing diligently like watchtowers or black-clad statues. I wanted to avoid any more conflict if I could. I would fight an army to save my brother but in all honesty I knew things would be infinitely more difficult if it ever came to that. Like England said, we needed to be as stealthy as possible.

I edged a foot closer to the threshold, attempting to get as close to the ajar door I'd spotted as possible without attracting attention from either of the guards. The nearest man turned his head to check on the other guard's condition and I made my move.

I sprinted to the door, attempting as much silence as I could under the circumstances, and ran into a bedroom. I'd walked through America's maze, made my way into the White House and knocked out a guard but just that small moment made my body light up like I'd suddenly changed places with a horror movie protagonist and was already feeling the chills. With the tiny act of running past the guards I'd cemented the fact to myself that I was an unwelcome guest in the White House, something that had _never_ been the case as long as America was there. I was fighting America for my brother's freedom.

Not for long though. I'd make sure of it.

* * *

 ***French saying like "stick out like a sore thumb"**

* * *

 **Even** **though it's a bit of an odd numbered chapter to do so (pun intended) I'd like to do some of the thank yous. I just love all of you and how nice you are to me!**

 **Massive thank you and hug to:**

 **dancergeek22, Astrarea, Ariaprincess, Abc, NoNumbersInMyUsername**

 **AFanGirlof5sos, Adorablycheeky2211, Treebrooke, animestorylover1621, eric12377**

 **Autobot StormBreaker, Don't Hit Cas, Insanity21, NekoraNeko709, Oceantears2, RoseyNote, Yorozuya Gin-Chan, silverheartlugia2000, sunsetonmars, yonezuu**

 **and of course, the creator: 1captain obvious!**

 **To the 21 amazing people and all the other amazing people I can't name, Please know I appreciate all of you so much! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Canada**

Searching the White House was a fluctuating balance between needing to search carefully and needing to get through the rooms quickly. Thankfully, with eight people searching we could achieve most of both.

The bedroom shared the outside's colour scheme like most of the rooms we'd encountered. The carpet was lined with gold thread but was mainly red beneath the almost-grey white wall. The room itself was massive and felt empty because of it. Four arched windows shone light onto the floor and made the highly polished black pianos shine brilliantly. This room may not have looked very lived in due to it being devoid of possessions but it was very well kept.

You could have slid a mirror down the centre of the room and its appearance wouldn't have changed at all. The portraits and painting hanging from the wallpaper, the tall mirrors standing elegantly in the corners, and the blue spherical vases bearing yellow flowers were all placed identically on either side of the double bed. It was all perfectly symmetrical to the point where I was wondering if I could find whoever designed this room just to ask what on earth he was thinking.

While everybody searched I made an unconscious beeline to the only asymmetrical points in the entire room: the narrow doors. The one to the left was in line with the bed's edge but the one coming from the right was much lower down the room.

I noticed France and Italy already heading in a cheerful pair to the door on the left so I decided to make it easier and search the right while the others scanned the rest. It didn't take long due to the lack of hiding places but France did come out of, what he told me was, the dressing room looking rather alarmed, yet Italy didn't. It was strange considering their usual behaviour but I didn't need any more information than 'America wasn't in there'. No-one else reported anything out of the usual. South had even searched behind the pianos but when he moved them there weren't any files or passageways.

I called everyone over to the right door, feeling a bit disappointed but I quickly reminded myself firmly that we wouldn't find America _that_ easily. We darted across a narrow corridor to the next room, another bedroom, but this one was different. It was definitely warmer.

A soft pink teddy sat on a table draped in white cloth to make it look neater, similarly to the bedside tables, and little woven baskets filled with neatly folded clothes were stacked away next to it. Along with the large comfy-looking bed there was a large comfy-looking chair backed with wood but laden with cushions which made it perfect for the silver long-haired cat curled up on the centre.

I looked around but once again found nothing obviously out of place. It really seemed like just another bedroom. I sighed in dejection and started moving towards the next door but it only took a small glimpse back to realise the others were occupied with something else.

Russia was carefully stroking the cat with a large smile. He seemed happy to see it but England seemed to be inspecting it more than anything. It was strange behaviour because he was the most likely to be a cat person out of all of us; it was his Prime Minister's traditional pet after all.

"What is a cat doing here?" he queried aloud. He reached out and seemed as if he was holding something to the cat's neck. My curiosity got the better of me so I stepped forward to get a better look of England and the cat.

France peered down at the collar, since that was what England had been holding, and his eyes widened slightly with intrigue. "Oh look. It had a note on its collar."

England held the small square in his hand. He raised his voice into a clear one and read the message aloud for all of us to hear. " _To the countries in the White House,_ " He unfolded the note carefully and spread it out into the full letter so he could continue. I took another step closer and noted that the handwriting was uniform, but in a rushed way. It conjured the image of a rushing typewriter into my head.

" _I managed to convince Greece to sneak his cats in to help you out! But try to be nice to/around them. I don't think they're 100% on board with being spies!_ "

The handwriting changed, a sign of another writer, to one that was narrower and implemented many more loops.

" _I did some searching and found a map. There's not enough space on here to draw it out but we'll give this cat to the directions to the staff room._ "

The writing changed back.

" _Act American. They'll never notice you're not one of them._ Passen Sie auf sich auf _!_ _~Prussia~_ "

" _Good luck too. ~Hungary~"_

" _Don't mess up,_ ja _? ~Austria~_ "

The last line seemed to be hastily added but I shrugged it off and looked down at the small map. Hungary was right at there not being a lot of space for a map. It was a very sketchy diagram only including three arrows. Down. Right. Up.

"Should be easy enough, eh?" It was being optimistic at best but despite all the inevitable difficultly I had no doubts whatsoever that we would succeed. You have all the White House but then you have eight nations. I wouldn't like those odds if _I_ was Harris.

My head whipped around to the door's direction and gestured for the others, sparing a glance back at Germany and reassuring him I would be careful this time.

Opening the door would alert any attention from any guards on patrol outside, it was an unavoidable fact we were all aware, but since our priority was finding America staying in this bedroom definitely wasn't an option.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "But if guards try to attack us then we'll have no choice. If we're lucky we'll sneak past, but if not we'll all have to lock them in here like the other guy," I explained.

"Our luck has not been all too reliable lately," Japan lamented.

"Let's at least hope," Italy smiled but the smile grown past his norm wasn't as convincing as usual.

I returned his smile. "Yeah. Let's."

We all crept toward the door and this time England volunteered to go first. He made sure to open it just a crack before slipping outside. The remaining seven of us waited patiently for the all clear. Germany's face was set in disapproval being barely repressed in the sake of teamwork, Italy looked nervous about what was happening on the other side of the door while South was looking just as anxious as I felt. However, France was looking as confident as ever. He trusted in me and he trusted in all of us, the exemption being England of course, but even then I think deep, deep, _deep_ down the two of them didn't hate each other as much as they acted. They could work together if there was an attack affecting the both of them.

We met each other's eyes but then both our heads snapped in the direction of the door again, looking to the source the large _thud_ we'd all heard. There was another _thud_. We were silent in anticipation, waiting for anything to give us context, but there was more quiet for a longer while after that.

Then another _thud_ ; it was against the door this time. Our faces fell sharply with each bang heard from outside. We grew more and more concerned each time until the seven of us heard a massive clattering and crashing. That was the final straw. We surged forward to the door but were stopped by a sudden voice.

"No, no! Do not come in. I'm perfectly fine!"

"That's English for 'help me'!" Italy said, and I threw the door open. We were presented with the scene for only a second before I had to clamp my hand over my mouth.

We weren't just laughing at the scenario; it was mostly England's expression. His face looked like a cross between a rabbit in headlights and an indignant lobster and it wasn't helped by the fact there were two unconscious guards on the floor and another one being dragged across the floor by the Brit.

His face exploded in red. "I said I was perfectly fine!"

"This is the _opposite of subtle_ , England!" Germany groaned, putting his head in his palm and looking very exasperated.

England huffed, irritated at the German's accusing tone. "Well, please excuse me for taking care of the _three armed men_ who attacked me! It's hard to remain covert when you're spotted. And would you mind too dreadfully if you help me?"

In spite of our laughter, we did move to assist with the three unconscious guards. We didn't want to disturb the cat, and the bedroom wouldn't have been a very effective hiding place anyway, so Italy suggested the dressing room he and France had explored. I remembered France's expression after coming out of the oversized closet so I'd been mildly surprised not to find something scary there, except for the three knocked-out men in dark suits after dragging them there.

"Now that's done, let's head over to the staff room, shall we?" England found himself agreeing with Russia but a small sideways glance at France and South made me realise they were having the same doubts I was.

South looked down pointedly at the three guards. "Yeah, the eight of us aren't having much luck in the hiding department. At this rate there's no way we'll make it through a staff room."

Germany sucked air through his teeth. "Robert's right. In total we've not been noticed by one guard. We need to adjust our strategy if we're going to get any further."

I shifted my feet a bit, not sure how the others would react. "I have an idea."

* * *

 **For all the James Bond films and espionage England just can't catch a break.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Canada**

"This is the single most cliché plan I've ever seen. Matt, you sure are Alfie's brother all right." South was buttoning up the smart black jacket stolen from the guard who was now wearing South's clothes.

"Blending is the smartest plan at the moment," I replied simply, sliding on a pair of dark reflective shades. "At least, it's better than what we were doing before," I admitted.

"It's not the silliest way to go. Hats off to you, Canada. Maybe we can finally implement some logic into this plan of ours." England brushed off his shoulders.

There were only three guards so the three uniforms had been distributed to South, England and me since South and I were North American and England was another English-speaking nation. The reflective glasses and identical suits meant it would hopefully be easy for us to hide the fact we didn't actually work at the White House.

I pulled another shining key from the inner pocket before putting it back. "You can call it what you want but we did get quite a few keys from the guards."

"Don't encourage it, Matthew," Germany chastised playfully.

I finished buttoning up my 'borrowed' black jacket and presented myself to the others. "Do you think we'll fool them?"

"If we do, we do," France replied, looking me over with an analytical gaze. He paced with his hand stroking his chin in thought, similar to a tailor observing their work. "But I know you will be able to do it." France raised an eyebrow in the direction of England who was standing with his arms crossed and his face cleared. He seemed to be thinking. What of, I didn't know. It soon disappeared from his mind when France spoke again.

"Try not to speak too much, _Angleterre_. You're infuriating voice would undoubtedly leave poor Mathieu's plan in tatters. It's hard enough to keep ourselves undercover without you once more giving us away."

"You're one to talk," he retorted sharply. He turned to South. "But the frog has a point. Bob, it looks like you'll be doing most of the talking if it comes to that. It's less obvious with Matthew speaking but it's best we leave our cards in the safest hands."

South nodded. He nodded in acceptance of the responsibility but cast a sideways look to me. I shrugged subtly and gave him a reassuring smile.

"If we're all in agreement, then let's go. Time is of the essence." Japan began walking to the door and held it open for the rest of us.

"Thanks, Kiku." I walked past the dark-haired man and back into the corridor, sparing a small moment to look back at the three unconscious guards. We'd been nice and given them our clothes in return but the exchanges had been quite ill-fitting. The tie was annoying as well.

There weren't yet any more men to replace the ones we'd stashed away in the dressing room-closet but it didn't stop us from having an added sense of urgency as we passed through it again. Our heart rates and strides were all slightly quickened but joining them was an unusually grown confidence. Maybe it was the knew-found information we were no longer alone in the White House. We were amongst friends as well, even if they were all small and furry.

England, South and I stood tall and entered the reception room with purpose, all acting as if we actually worked there. The room was narrow and long, with long lines mounted to wall and shining bright light down from either side. There were no portraits to line the walls and no flower pots to decorate the floor which gave the room a much more business-like atmosphere than the ones we'd visited beforehand. The air felt more professional than everything else and our suits made me feel a part of that, blended in. It wasn't an unknown feeling to me so I trusted it.

The three of us were walking shoulder to shoulder but South stood between us, subconsciously taking the lead. The others were waiting outside. I wasn't as used to making things up on the fly as I should have been and frankly the lack of a plan made me anxious but I knew I'd find a way to get the others inside with us.

We walked up to the lone desk stationed in front of a set of double doors, both shining with polish. A thin black screen accompanied a narrow keyboard, the two of which were standing towards the corner of the wooden surface. Despite that they looked dangerously close to the three large round cups hosting inside them swirling black drinks. Steam rolled off them into the air, dancing gently in non-existent wind and directing themselves towards the breathing of the blonde man sitting behind them.

His hair was shoulder length and reminded me instantly of a mane. He wore a white shirt under a long and proper tie but as we approached he snuck a glance through rounded shades as demonstrated by a thin eyebrow rising along with it. At that moment, all the professional air shattered.

His smile grew and he ran his thumbs under the soft collar of his jacket. He leant back casually and the soft-backed chair bent to reflect the change in position. It creaked softly but without protest. And finally, the move that destroyed anything resembling a formal manner, he kicked his feet onto the table's empty corner and gave me directly a cheeky salute.

"Hey." His voice was smooth and deep in a relaxed way. "People call me Ace, because it's my name. What can I do to help you?"

I couldn't help but be slightly incredulous but when I glanced down I noticed a thin name plate reading, 'Ace _Johnston: Head Secretary of the Envoy Department_ '.

England and I automatically turned to South, acting like foreigners consulting a translator, but Ace caught us before he even said a word.

"Do you want to play a game? It's fun, and we play it in the office all the time. It's useful for opening doors." The shades blocked his eyes from our view but the wink was audible in his voice.

"Sure," South answered. "What are the rules?"

"Don't worry, they're simple. I have three espressos..." Ace spread his arms grandly and swung back into the proper sitting position on his chair.

I followed his line of sight to the three cups placed on his desk. A memory of being at a café with America threw itself into the forefront of my brain. The words tumbled from my mouth without thought.

"You can't have espressos in cups these large." I had the image of an irritated Italy in my mind, it being one of the few times I'd seen such an expression on the Italian's cheer-filled face.

Ace just chuckled at me, pushing his shades back up his nose unnecessarily. "You can if you put in four shots."

He was technically correct so neither of us pressed the matter any further.

Ace's head turned but I had a feeling his focus didn't. "As I was saying, the rules are simple. Pick one of the three cups, then I will drink one of the ones not chosen. After I drink it you'll be given the option to switch or keep your cup. If you have the cup with the prize in it, you can have it."

It was too perfect. It felt as if... Almost as if he was trying to help us.

"Okay. Let's get started," South continued.

"Pick a cup," Ace invited to the other American.

He stared briefly at the ceramic trio before choosing the one in the centre. Ace smirked, reached over and took a large drink of the one closest to England. "Do you want to switch your cup, or are you going to keep it?"

South returned Ace's favour of a playful smile. "I'm gonna keep it. Is that right?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Ace chirped, imitating a victory bell. "You win the prize." Ace dug around in one of the drawers jutting out next to him and fished out three laminated cards dragging coloured cords behind them. He held the three out for us which we each took in turn.

"Now scram." My eyebrows furrowed at the abrupt bluntness but Ace was quick to elaborate, not sounding annoyed or anything of the kind. "Make sure not to tell anybody before I get caught for slacking off."

South's grey eyes flittered back to the door discretely. He spoke up again, his tone was charismatic. "Would it be too much of a pain if our colleagues joined us?"

"Not at all. We get guests here all the time. Just make sure they don't cause a fuss, or it'll be my head on the chopping block."

South thanked him. "They won't," he promised. A promise I wasn't too confident any of us would intend to keep.

He didn't hesitate to head back to the door and collect the others. He spent a small moment outside the door, probably explaining the situation to them, but during that time I stole a glimpse at the card Ace had given me.

' _The holder of this badge is granted permission for the:_ ' and then in large handwriting, somebody had written ' _Master Bedroom_ ' in a black marker. I didn't say anything about this to England, Ace hadn't moved from his seat so he was still there with us, but I expected he'd inspected his card too.

England and I merged into the small crowd and joined them in walking through the double doors. I heard England whisper something to South once he was out of Ace's earshot.

"Well done, South."

I couldn't tell whether South was smiling because of the compliment or the fact England hadn't called him Bob but it was nice to see him happy. It was a drastic difference to the tired man who'd burst into our meeting and shouted at China.

It was England this time who held the door open for everybody. Most of us muttered hushed thanks to him before coming into the room full of staff.

* * *

 **Hello and thank you very much to you all!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did or didn't I'd love if you review! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! :D**

 **For the 10th chapter I've got something special for you! It's almost twice as long as usual and has something special at the end so I hope you really enjoy!**

* * *

 **Canada**

We made sure not to make any contact with any of them, definitely not risking a confrontation at this point, and it worked. No-one seemed to make much of us. Most of them assumed we were legal guests and focused on their own tasks or conversations, some of which I couldn't help but catch snippets of as I passed.

"...and why isn't he here..?"

"...vouch for it. The coffee's great."

"C'mon. Work won't wait..."

"... so what does it matter?"

"The pianos make it unsymmetrical..!"

"But we can't..."

"Move them!"

I hurried everybody along and moved them into the emptier anteroom. The chatter made it harder for me to remember I was undercover.

" _Gattino_ *****!" Italy beamed and he headed over to another cat waiting with an annoyed expression. It constantly pawed the plush cushion it was sitting on.

It was a cream coloured cat spotted with brown and I couldn't help but think it's folded ears made it adorable, but not as much as Kumajirou of course.

"What does the message say?" I inquired.

Italy's amber eyes jumped around a bit from reading quickly then he started to read aloud for the rest of us.

"' _Nǐ hǎo. Greece told me this cat's going to be in the anteroom here. According to Prussia I should send you to library. You can get some more research if Italy's map is correct._ ' Oh. Lovino's helping him."

"Did it stop there?" Germany questioned.

Italy shook his head and continued. "' _If you go west from the anteroom and take the second door south you'll be there._ '"

I turned obediently. The library. Unlike the previous message it wasn't so much a direction but a suggestion, but it was still a suggestion I'd trust. If Prussia, China and Romano thought it was a good place to check out then I trusted that sentiment.

"So we'll head to the library like he said. But we can't leave all these stones unturned. Ivan, Kiku, Francis and me will check the room to the south. The rest of you should search the one to the east. Any problems?" But no-one had any objections to my orders. They split up without hesitation and the three nations I'd named following me through the southern door which, according to the brass plate stuck onto the door with similarly brass-coloured screws, was the private secretary's office.

It was a lavish office. Golden patterns were woven into the floor and snaked their way across the red, circling the wooden door as it curved around its partnered chair in an almost complete circle. Orchids, roses and daffodils decorated the desk in beige ceramic pots but my eyes were concentrated wholly on the papers littering the desk.

I wished I had the power of a computer, the ability to search for America's name or Harris' plans, but instead I was reliant on nothing but my own vision. I wasn't unaccustomed to paperwork so it wasn't completely alien but the time it took to confirm a single sheet was useful was too long.

France was quick to come to my side and help while Japan and Russia agreed on exploring the remaining room. I wasn't exactly paying attention but I did hear Russia greet someone when he opened the door on the right. Apparently it led to the room England, South and the others were searching.

"Yes!"

France looked up from his paper to me, startled at the sudden outburst.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "But anyway, I think I found something." I passed the paper over to him and pointed to the relevant information. I read quickly as we went along. "New locks, more guards...It's about a security upgrade in the highest offices. That might be where they're keeping Al."

France smiled proudly. " _Très bien_ , _mon petit frère_. Alfred will not be trapped here for much longer at this rate."

I smiled back and put the sheets back, unable to contain at least a little triumph. Harris had made his biggest mistake out of many deciding to kidnap America, and he was supposed to be his _boss_. I'd met Harris before, back in the days before he isolated the US, and now I was disgusted. I'd never imagined that someone like him would do that. Now I knew better.

I caught movement in my peripheral vision. My eyes darted to the side but I was sensible enough not to move any more than that. France had been the source. I couldn't watch for long before he caught on, even under the protection of the guard's shades, but his expression stood out to me. Concern. I knew it wasn't just for America. I'd definitely known France long enough to recognise his expression and something was troubling him.

"Did you two find anything suspicious? The rest of the room is quite boring," Russia explained.

I straightened up, grateful for the interruption of my thoughts. "Yes. After the library, we should try find the upper offices. We need more information before going ahead but I'm almost certain that's where they're keeping Al."

Japan nodded happily. He turned to France who had one of his hands in his pockets, standing casually and looking ready to go.

We walked out from the office and found the others. I knew straight away from their disappointed expressions exactly how fruitful their exploration had been, but it didn't matter as much to me.

I explained the situation to them and all their faces brightened up. The idea that we wouldn't be aimlessly wandering anymore visibly made them happy, and that in turn cheered me up even more.

"To the library we go," Italy chirped happily.

"Matthew, Arthur, Robert. Lead the way," Germany invited, waving in the direction of the door.

England strolled forward with his arms folded. He looked at home in the dark suit, shades and tie. It wasn't too different to what he often wore when gathering information, or watching spy films. "Shouldn't be too much longer. Matthew, come on."

I walked up to his side and the three of us in suits escorted the others into the corridor. All it took was our presence to put all the other guards at their stations. It didn't sound like the American security I knew but they didn't seem particularly fazed by all the 'guests'. Two terms of isolation was a long time. I guess things _had_ changed in that time.

I shepherded everybody into the library in the hope of escaping the oppressive, watchful air fueled by the sentries but the breath of free air I'd hoped for was cut off the moment my eyes fell onto the dull-haired librarian sitting in the corner and reading.

I clenched my mouth shut to avoid voicing the panic speeding through my mind. My head snapped over to South, my face hosting an entire chain of non-verbal words. South's expression flickered along with his mind but he approached the librarian with calm strides.

"Is it alright for me to show my colleagues around?" he asked coolly.

She glanced up at South with faintly grey eyes. She looked bored. "Hmm?" The librarian craned her neck and titled her head, scanning the rest of us with her dull eyes. I straightened up automatically, feeling strangely like a schoolboy under inspection. Her focus fell back down to the paper. She no longer looked up when she spoke.

"I have no problem with it as long as you obey the rules."

"So, no noise, no food, and no cell phones?" he chuckled.

She laughed back in good nature. "Just make sure you don't destroy anything," she said turning back to the book in her hands.

South wheeled around and gave the rest of us two thumbs up. I nodded in noiseless gratitude and through some partially confused sign language we communicated to each other a rough plan.

So for the second time in half an hour we split up to search. Though admittedly, I wasn't too interested in the books. Now I had a rough idea of where they were keeping America I didn't understand why we needed to stay around where he clearly wasn't. There was a definite use for knowledge which the others were rightly recognising but there was only so much you could learn during the actual operation.

I headed past the numerous bookcases and instead went for the stairs leading up to the second floor. I didn't have exactly a mental map of the White House but I knew approximately where I was going.

France probably noticed me leave since he went to walk by side mere seconds after I put a foot on the stair. He glanced discretely back at the librarian but not even the extra guests brought her out of the story.

"Are you alright, _mon chouchou_ ******? I know this must be quite stressful for you," he said, his voice a whisper despite the confirmation of safety.

I rubbed my eyes as I spoke at a similar volume. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answered automatically. There was no point in worrying him when there was already so much to worry about.

"The world's most common lie. You don't need to worry, Mathieu. We're all here for you and here for Alfred as well. It's not wrong to have a shoulder to rest on when you're tired."

I gave him a short look, confused. I was used to his kindness but the sudden outspoken concern seemed out of place for the current atmosphere.

He easily caught my expression. France could read me better than anyone else so there was rarely a point in trying to hide anything from him, so I smiled. "You shouldn't worry about me. I know you'll always care but could you postpone it until we're out of the White House, eh?"

"Never," he said immediately, coupling the response with a friendly wink and smirk. "If I stopped caring about you then I wouldn't be a very good big brother would I?" The two of us found ourselves in another stage of the library, facing two large circular tables surrounded by plain wooden chairs awaiting people with work.

"So is this the second floor?" France wondered.

"Yes." I sailed toward the lone door standing conspicuously at the head of the room. "This one'll lead to the halls."

"Oh, do you want me to get the others?" France offered kindly.

"Thanks."

I watched him walk away, finding my shoulders unconsciously relaxed after being in his presence. No matter what, I couldn't help but be grateful of what France did for me. Fortunately it didn't take long for him to come back with the rest of our little team. England looked a little miffed that there hadn't been any books from his place there but Russia said that the Brit had been quite flattered at the number of books he'd found on other countries packed away on the shelves, which England was then quick to deny.

"Now is not the time to dilly-dally," he announced, his ears especially having turned pink. "Let's go." England glanced around to prove his point. "Greece hasn't sent one of his cats here yet but we need to at least look as if we know what the hell we're doing. That is if you don't want us to arise any more suspicion than we already have." He said the last sentence like a question, meeting my eyes with a significant look and I realised he was actually asking for my approval. Like _I_ was the leader.

There was a watchful silence which persisted until my mind finally uncluttered enough for it to process the question just asked of me. "Yes. Yes, that's fine, Arthur."

England nodded politely and strolled over to the door. He and South took the lead again but this time I stayed behind until everybody else had left, wanting to take the rear and protect them from the back.

We filed out of the library in a messy line, taking the right door in a confident facade. Invisible behind the dark screens covering them, my eyes bounced from guard to guard. Men and women clad in tidy suits stood sparingly across the halls but a particular scene drew my attention.

A slender man in an almost navy-blue suit spoke incomprehensibly to one of the guards, wearing an equally troubled and irritated expression. Their words were a low meaningless buzz from the distance but I managed to catch their tone. I moved faster, trying to tacitly encourage Italy in front of me to do the same. The men talked warningly; it sounded as if somebody had noticed something awry.

I grabbed the door knob and hurried to close it behind me. I didn't hear a lock but I turned to face the others in the confidence the hinges' noise would give us enough warning.

We were now in some sort of waiting area. Red-seated, light wooden chairs surrounded the rectangular room in a circle interrupted five times by doors, including the one we'd just come from. A large clock ticked overly loudly, a small metal pendulum swinging in time with the clicking. Seven maps adorned the walls. Placed above the chairs with an air of importance were seven of the fifty US states: Maryland, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey, Illinois and New York. Between them were small square portraits of several presidents. They were interesting decorations but as we funnelled in the majority of the nations focused on the stretching wooden table completely covered in artistically placed violet irises and passionflowers, soft orange roses and goldenrods.

It was such a large and unusual display that we couldn't help but being enthralled by it. I stepped closer and found that past the pale, cushioned stools in the way there were several plastic bottles filled with water boxed underneath the table.

I bolted upright at a momentarily untraceable sound. My head whipped around, sending my golden hair repeatedly into my face as it did so, but then we found the source. The nine of us stared, anxious, at the south-easterly door. It was undeniably shut but only recently. That had been the sound: the sound of the door closing.

We exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of whether to stay or head to another room, but then that confusion ceased when England crept forward, filling us with different confusion. I watched with an incredulous gaze chiselled onto my face like detail on a statue as England noiselessly beckoned us to follow his example. France moved forward, followed by Germany and Japan then the others and I joined them.

It was faint but the voices inside were loud and clear in argument. We all listened silently with rapt attention not to be affected. We stood there, eavesdropping intently, until France's blue eyes suddenly widened.

" _Hide_!" he hissed urgently. South darted across the room, gesturing to us frantically to follow him into the room across from us. France, England, Germany, Russia and I followed immediately but amongst the panic Italy and Japan leapt under the centre table.

Germany's mouth opened in wordless frustration but it was cut off by South pulling the door closed.

* * *

 **Hannah**

"Well, what do we have here?"

The annoyance that man's words filled me with was so sudden and complete that it was almost indescribable. This tone was baiting and so fakely casual that my skin crawled like he was breathing down my neck.

I tried not to take my eyes off the page's text but my concentration had snapped and I found them flitting off the file to the rows of house plants neatly lining the high desk, onto the most minute details in the carpeting and to the side, beyond the clarity provided by my glasses' lenses.

I absently brushed my short blonde hair even further from my view, a small but noticeable gesture. The footsteps continued. They were heavy and not nearly as coolly executed as their source believed them to be.

"Is that a good book? I thought it was when I wrote it."

He moved closer and closer until he halted only a few feet away from where I sat.

"Though, you should not have access to it; it is classified material regarding the country' future."

My hands tightened around the book's plastic covering.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, _Harris_."

I straightened up and let the file fall the short distance from my hands to the desk's surface. I turned around swiftly with the narrow chair and faced the man with both my arms and legs crossed in assertion of my stubbornness.

I stared at him like the barrel of a trained gun, hoping to conjure that sort of intimidation even if I doubted that would be the truth.

Vice President Steven Holder was a broad but not athletic type of man, emphasized by his thick folded arms and generally stout stature. His eyes were dark but overshadowed by the impressive moustache underneath them. It was light brown like the receding hair atop his head while the rest of his suit was navy.

"Why should I acknowledge your desire for secrecy? This information's just as relevant to my future as it is yours," I replied with the tact he lacked.

He laughed shortly in a way that sounded more like a grumble than anything related to happiness. "I don't think that's quite the case. It's for the higher-ups, and last time I checked that didn't include you. You're role's nothing more than decoration. Go to ceremonies we don't want to and try look invested. Congratulations, you're like royalty."

I faced away, not wanting to dignify his words with further eye contact. "I didn't sign up for that, or _this_." I rested my hand vaguely on Steve's report. "This…this is not right."

"Too bad," he snapped, walking toward me. I slipped off the chair and out of his way as he reached out for the file. I shot him another glare for his tone but he marched on with it, regardless.

"You signed up for this ages ago, _Harris_." He used my surname in contempt. I was briefly entertained by the idea of him using that attitude with its other bearer while watching him take the file away from me and stow it under his arm.

"You married him so you should accept everything that came with it."

"I did not marry him for _this_. I loved him."

Steve met my glare but his was lazy with his entitled power. "Well, you're stuck with him now. He's your husband and you _have_ to support him."

I clenched my fists. "No. I don't." My volume rose despite myself. Just being in Holder's presence eroded my composure like acid on rock or bugs on flora. "This isn't about me _or_ him! This is wrong and the people will _not_ want this! Hasn't there already been enough war? Enough failed attempts at domination? History did not favor the conquerors."

"Times have changed," he explained slowly and condescendingly. "We aren't in the dark ages anymore. We aren't old tyrants or 'villains'. Anything is possible now, or to be more accurate, in the future, red tape's tying up the present at the moment."

I didn't laugh at what his expression told me was a joke. Steve's eyes narrowed to compliment my own and his voice took on a more serious tone.

He spread his arms in the way of a storyteller. "Imagine it, Hannah. Picture how the world could be. Freedom could span the globe, not just a select few."

I grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm down. "You're not nearly as persuasive as you think. No-one will actually stand this, what you're all planning is not freedom." I stared into his eyes and detached the anger from my voice, trying to honestly convince him what I was saying was true. Surely he knew what they were doing was wrong.

My hope melted at the sight of Steve's expression. He pulled out his hand from my grip and looked down on me. "Freedom is only perception."

He turned his back on me, feeling that he'd closed the argument but he had done no such thing.

"I won't have a part in this. I will go to the media. Once the people find out all of what you've done will be over!"

The Vice President didn't turn again. "Sure. You go right along and do that." The small moment of hope warming me up gave way to the dread trickling into my blood at his cruel voice.

"We'll totally let you walk out of here, _especially_ after you learned about our ideals." He started strolling toward the door, cradling the file with a superior air.

I followed, hating his words as he said them.

"Oh, and I bet your sister will just _love_ the news. How about we give her a sneak preview?"

"Leave her out!"

He stopped and I stopped abruptly behind him. He gave me one last sideways glance, unveiled and purely malicious. "It's your choice, _Harris_."

I was frozen at the threshold. I could only watch him open the door and leave back into the halls, his words echoing powerfully in my mind. I only unfroze once the sound of the door shutting crashed through the room and told me unmistakably that he was gone.

I was furious but so helpless in situation that all I could do was slump against the doorframe. I rubbed my face in frustration pushing my glasses up past my bangs, messing them up. I despised that man. He abused his position at every chance he got and loved nothing more than waving his power in everbody's…

My train of thought unraveled slowly as my eyes stared unseeing for a moment, not quite yet comprehending the sight. My furrowed eyebrows and hardened eyes lost their anger and took their time widening.

I was making eye contact with a young man hiding under the center table, my green against his golden-brown. We both seemed incapable of moving for the moment it took my mind to process his being there but then, just as I raised my hand to stifle the shock about to come out as a shout, he rushed out in open space. Holding up his hands in a sign of peace and looking almost as shocked as I did.

"Please don't yell!" It wasn't remotely a threat.

He sounded and looked worried so I swallowed my surprise, instead blurting out, "Who are you!?"

* * *

 **Gattino – Italian for kitty**

 **Mon chouchou – French name of endearment**

* * *

 **EDIT: This is what I get for writing at 1 in the morning. Thank you A, I fixed the mistakes I could find.**

* * *

 **Presenting: Hannah Harris, First Lady of the United States!**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and whether you did or didn't I'd really appreciate if you review!**

 **And once more, I'm just so grateful to you guys! You're all just so awesome and kind! You're the best!**

 **Diolch yn fawr iawn! - Thank you so much!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Just a heads up, this one's pretty (read: _very_ ) dialogue heavy, but I do promise things are starting to get exciting ;)**

* * *

 **Hannah**

He stopped a few feet away from me with his hands in a partial 'I surrender' motion but his face was detached from that and smiling honestly.

"My name is Feliciano Vargas. And you, _bella donna_?"

What caught me off guard was the young man's accent. I knew there'd been something slightly different about him but he sounded European. I could recognize some the small bit of Italian but by the time my mind had processed all the other surprising things about his appearance I'd almost forgotten he'd asked me something.

"My name is…Hannah." I straightened up and tried to stop looking so shocked. The brief pause came from the decision on whether to include my surname but I knew I couldn't reveal that type of information to a strange, regardless of how friendly he looked.

" _Ciao_ , Hannah," Feliciano greeted with a smile. He suddenly glanced back at the table eagerly. "Hey, maybe she could help us."

I wasn't silly enough to think he was actually talking to the table itself but I still couldn't quite disguise my surprise at the other man. He had dark hair and a mutedly frustrated expression. The other young man clambered out into open space and at that point I felt like checking the flower pots.

"Feliciano-kun…" the newcomer moaned in a whisper. His forehead was creased in worry and was constantly glancing from Feliciano to me.

"And you are?" Even I was surprised at how calm I sounded. I could have sworn I was more panicked than what my voice gave away.

He bowed his head in apology. "Pardon me. My name is Honda Kiku."

My eyes were bouncing almost uncontrollably between the two young men. Why on Earth would a Japanese and Italian man be hiding underneath the center table like that?

"What did you mean when you wanted me to help you with something?" I inquired. I folded my arms but found myself strangely trusting of the two in spite of everything about the circumstances.

"We're just trying to find our friend. He asked for help and told us to come here to rescue him," Feliciano replied.

"Who is your friend? And why would he be here of all places?" I asked, but I had the awful feeling I knew the answer to the second question.

"His name is Alfred F. Jones," Kiku volunteered. He gestured with a hand to a bit above his own head. "He is tall and has blonde hair and blue eyes. He looks about nineteen years old."

"And he's very energetic," Feliciano added.

I was ready to dismiss them but just as I opened my mouth something clicked mentally. It was been quite a time now but I definitely recognized the name and description.

"Alfred…" I mused slowly. "Does he usually wear a brown bomber jacket?"

They both nodded simultaneously. My eyes widened and my eyebrows knitted together in sudden concern.

"Wait, he's missing? How, and _when_ , did that happen?"

"We're not really sure," Feliciano admitted. "But we're trying to find out. When did you last see him? If we work together we should be able to find him in no time."

I wanted to take a step back at such an abrupt proposal, but I found that I couldn't. I had just met them and they'd all but admitted breaking into the White House but there was something just inherently trustworthy about Feliciano and Kiku. Maybe it was because they were the only honest-seeming people I'd dealt with in a while. I resisted the urge to sight at that particular thought.

"It's not like I knew him _well_ , but he's always been a presence around here. To be honest I don't even know why he was here in the first place. I thought he'd stopped coming because he disagreed morally with all the new policies, but you say he never left?"

"He called one of our allies two days ago, including today. He was in distress and asked us to help him, so we came," said Kiku.

"'One of your allies'? Wait, how many of you broke in?"

Pink lit up his fairly light cheeks. He looked unsure at what to say, probably not wanting to give his 'allies' away, but Feliciano was just as strangely trusting of me as I was of him.

"Eight."

Eight?! How did so many people break into the _White House_ undetected? Feliciano and Kiku only looked around twenty, how could they have achieved that?

"If you want to help Alfred too then they'd better talk to you. I'm not too good with planning and stuff."

I had to admit I was curious, and learning that someone like Alfred was in danger sealed the deal. I nodded to Feliciano. "I'll help."

And with those words he walked up to the door opposite me without a doubt. It swung open and my eyes hardened. The first thing I saw was guard uniform and that never meant a good thing for me. But I stopped after one of them removed their shades and gave me a cheerful look. He was vaguely familiar to me, but in the way that his appearance was common. He didn't look like any of the guards I'd met.

"Hello," he greeted in a smooth, southern voice. I didn't reply though since my attention was then caught by a tall blonde man making a beeline for Feliciano and Kiku.

"Why didn't you hide with us?" he asked them in a German accent.

"I'm sorry, Ludwig-san. The table was closer and seemed a better idea at the time," Kiku said.

The German, Ludwig, shrugged. "Fair enough," he relented. On closer inspection he was a lot younger than his height and physique originally led me to believe.

"Good news, Lud~. Hannah says she's going to help us find Alfred!" said Feliciano.

"Is that so?"

I faced the English man who had spoken.

"Feliciano and Kiku told me that Alfred apparently called…one of you and asked for help. If he's trouble then I'll gladly help you but first I have a few questions."

Everyone was silently waiting for me to continue speaking but I spared a moment to look over the crowd.

There was Feliciano, Kiku and Ludwig, along with the Englishman with disheveled hair, but I also saw a very tall platinum-haired man, a handsome man with sapphire eyes and then the two younger Americans. A Canadian with strange purple eyes and the smiling 'guard'. When I asked they introduced themselves as Arthur, Ivan, Francis, Matthew and Robert. It was a strange ensemble which only made me more curious.

"Second question: how in the _world_ did the eight of you break into the _White House_ without being noticed? Are you all ninja's or something?"

For some reason a few eyes flickered in the direction of Kiku but it was Robert who cleared his throat and replied.

"Alfie always had a way in. He told me about it while back but I never used it since there wasn't ever a reason I had to sneak in. I actually forgot about it until I got out. But anyway, I remembered it and helped these guys come and save Alfie."

"Wait. So there's an easy way in and out of the White House no-one but the two of you knew about?"

Arthur misinterpreted my expression. "It's not like you have to worry about your safety or whatnot. I can vouch for the fact no-one would find or use it."

"Good," I said without any real conviction. "I still can't believe eight men as…as young as you eight got away with this, but I'm going to help. Do you have any ideas of where he could be?"

"I think he's being held somewhere in the upper offices," Matthew told me.

Something changed in my expression at his words. Alfred was 'being held'. This was the truth I couldn't find a reason to doubt. Matthew looked about nineteen years old, and I didn't remember Alfred being any older. My face soured. I couldn't believe him. I couldn't believe it had come to _this_.

I fixed my appearance and met Matthew's eyes. I raised an eyebrow slightly, confused. "I'm not sure what you mean by 'upper offices'. I can't imagine someone staying in one of the offices I know of."

"Are you absolutely sure? I read a lot of reports saying they've added more security in some offices on the higher floors."

I thought carefully for a moment, trying the recall any details to shed light onto what he meant, when it struck me.

"Oh, you probably mean the secretary offices!"

"Secretaries? Why would Alfred be with the assistants?" Francis wondered.

"Not that kind of secretaries." Robert's face suddenly paled. "She means…"

"The new twenty people hired specifically by the president," I completed. Robert's face was set in grave agreement. The others, however, weren't nearly as disheartened as they probably should have been.

"So we just pay these secretaries a visit and rescue the poor sod."

Ludwig nodded. "Could you tell us where to find them?"

I looked over the eight men, concerned. It was unusual to say the least but finally I shrugged internally. I had nothing to lose but much to gain if they succeeded.

I took out my ID card as I described it to them. "Needless to say, their work isn't supposed to be well known, so it's not so simple to get to them. For one, you need to find a way into the master bedroom, except it's not actually used as a bedroom anymore. It has the door leading up to their offices since not just anybody can get into them or think to search it." I held up my ID card for them but frowned at it.

"Unfortunately, I only have the one card. The alarms will go off if it senses more than two people going past them."

Ivan smiled. "It's a good thing we already have three then."

I almost questioned it but then I remembered the three men dressed as guards standing right in front of me.

"Then it's perfect, _non_?" Francis accepted the card as I handed it over to him. "Thank you so much for your help, _Madame_. Surely, we couldn't have done this without you."

"You're trying to help Alfred. Why wouldn't I assist you? I just hope you succeed. I don't want him to be stuck here any longer."

"Thank you," Matthew beamed at me but my smile in return was nowhere near as strong.

"Welcome. Do you want me to do anything while you're searching upstairs? I've got nothing to do as it is."

They exchanged quick glances but most of their expressions were clearly readable, even by someone who didn't know them well. I could tell they didn't want to put me in danger. _Too late for that_ , I thought sourly.

"You've already helped us so much just by telling us what you have. I don't want you to get hurt, Mrs. Ha…" Robert verbally lurched, stopping so abruptly he sounded like he was about to cough.

I shot a withering look into his silence. "So you _did_ eavesdrop."

Robert's face went into a panic. His eyes widened and his mouth flapped in an attempt to find an excuse but I cut him off with a short chuckle.

"So you know I'm not exactly the type to sit around and wait." I gazed toward the door leading back into the corridor. "You should go before somebody catches you. It's impressive you've lasted this long but you still shouldn't waste any more time here with me. You go and save your friend. I'll see what I can dig up in the mean time."

It was odd. I'd been waiting for an opportunity, and then I'd found Steve's 'book'. Their timing seemed too perfect. But, I couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did or didn't not I'd love if you review! Thank you very much :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hannah**

My fingers drummed against the bookcase's wood nervously, my nails echoing the drum with clicks. My eyes scanned the uniform books titled before me, all identical except for the words themselves. I knew I was on a time limit, and that simple fact was making me more nervous than I'd thought. The casual drafts around the room made me feel as if someone was standing behind me and the ticking of the other room's clock reminded me of a countdown.

I pulled out one of the black files and peered into the space it created but the files hidden behind the first wall were equally irrelevant to the ones in view. Steven had taken away the file I'd needed and even though the others were informative, they weren't presently useful.

I put the book back and brought my expression down into one of thought. I wanted to help Alfred, but I knew the others couldn't stop there. This was going to be bigger, and more dangerous, than intended.

After consulting my memory I realized I wouldn't find anything else in here. I'd read everything here already after my month of unofficial house arrest. I had 'no obligation to go outside the grounds', which was how they'd phrased the threat. In any case, there was no point in staying in the office at least.

I checked the waiting room outside and nobody was there. Steve hadn't come back yet and the others obviously weren't done. I strolled confidently into the corridor and tried to ignore the guards' watchful eyes. They were just doing their job but all the added security did far from make me feel safe. Their priority was the president; that was unavoidable.

The library wasn't empty though. A red-headed man in a suit was sipping from a red coffee cup and reading a small book propped up against a pile of them. His head turned without rushing in my direction after I walked in but he didn't seem too surprised to see me. His eyes flickered toward the stairs.

"Please don't tell Jane," he asked me in a hushed voice, raising his coffee cup in emphasis.

I muttered something in polite agreement as I passed him. It wasn't a rare sight to see guards here on their breaks, even if they were usually in the lounge with Ace. The lower floor of the library was larger and held much more books than the second which had always worked out well for me.

I made my way over across the carpet and over the woman sitting peacefully in the corner, always glancing and glimpsing books titles as I went. There wasn't much literature, mostly history books on the old empires since people loved displaying their aspirations on shelves around here, but whenever I met the librarian she always had some fiction in between her hands.

"Hello," I greeted.

Jane looked up and shot me a thin smile. "Are you here for some help?"

Her attitude was brash in conversation but useful in timed circumstances. I nodded. "Yes. Could you find the extended phonebook for me? I have some work to do."

"Work, eh? Alright." She eased herself off her warm chair and started searching. I waited patiently but my eyes were glossed over, finding it hard to concentrate on her words through the fog of my mind.

"It's seems like _someone_ didn't put this away properly," Jane muttered, sliding an apparently misplaced book to the side, then she pulled out a massive yellow book. I took it but it seemed that it got heavier every single time I carried it. I shifted to carry the heavy book in both my arms and thanked her.

"You're welcome. Good going with your 'work'." Jane smirked at her own words but still politely waved me away.

I went back up the stairs and greeted the red-headed guard again but instead of returning to the office I turned right and opened the door to my bedroom. It wasn't supposed to be but it was where I'd been staying for quite a time.

It was a giant room, much bigger than I actually needed. Two enormous forest-green carpets, embroidered with gold and decorated in red, took up most of the floor and drew everybody's attention away from any of the actual furniture. Not that that was much of a loss. There wasn't much use for the bookshelves and the bed besides the obvious but what I did need was the wall-mounted landline phone.

I dropped the phone book onto the green checked blanket but didn't yet reach for the phone. I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched the black bob cat sleep stilly on it. It had a patch of white around its neck and mouth like a furry beard which shivered with every slow breath.

Its eyes opened without hurry and met mine for a peaceful moment. It didn't make a noise but was silently begging me with its cuteness so I petted its head. The cat purred loudly as I did so but when I made to scratch its neck a collar slipped under my fingers.

I ran my hand under it until I found the tag I'd been looking for, curious to whose cat it actually was, but instead of a metal label I had a piece of paper lying in my hands. I tried to read it but gave up almost immediately. The most I could do in a foreign language was what Spanish my education had taught me but this looked like Greek. I couldn't even read it, let alone understand it.

I wondered idly whether this cat had sneaked in with the others. I doubted it but wouldn't be too surprising considering what had already happened.

So I moved toward the phone. It didn't take too long for me to find the number I was looking for despite the sheer size of the phonebook since I knew who I was calling. I punched in the numbers nervously and waited for the person on the other side to pick up.

My waiting ended up with a small click and a robotic voice telling me to leave a message. Usually I would have abstained since I knew my sister hated when people did so but this was more important than usual.

"Catherine, it's me: Hannah. I'm sorry that I haven't called you in a while, I've been…busy as of late. I wish I could actually talk to you face-to-face but that's the problem itself. Things have gone bad here and I need you to do something for me. I need you to be careful. I don't want anything happening to you especially but I need you to call this number and tell them that something's gone wrong here." I ran my long nail along the string of numbers as I read them aloud.

I was almost done when I heard faint footsteps. They sounded close. I rushed to finish the instructions and bid her goodbye in a rushed voice. I slammed the phone back onto the wall just as the bedroom door opened. It startled the cat and sent it scrambling off my bed to the other side of the room.

I wheeled around and my breath cut off quickly. Two guards, a blue-suited man and a dark-suited woman, were waiting there for me, standing protectively like shields behind Vice President Steven Holder. My breathing returned easily once the shock of seeing his face dissipated.

"Miss, the president would like to see you," Steve invited but not even a fool could mistake his words for anything but malice.

My green eyes shot up to the pair behind him but they clearly posed no options for me. I had no choice.

I raised my head and looked down at Steven. "Fine. Lead the way, _Steve_."

Steve scowled but he and the two behind him led me under careful watch.

* * *

 **Hannah**

The Oval Office. A famous place to the public but an infamous place in my eyes. I waited patiently but couldn't stop my breathing and heart rate from escalating. The two guards were positioned either side of me with Steve standing a bit in front of me, but that wasn't what I was focusing on.

My eyes were locked on the man standing expectantly just ten feet away from me, framed by a blonde guide hidden by shades and the red-headed guard from the library. It was a saddening sight.

"Good day, Hannah," he greeted, making fun of the formality in his words by his expression. He had a handsome face and a handsome voice to suit it, but I stared him down coldly without doubt. It wasn't the face of the man I married. It was cruel with only a thin veil of charisma hiding it from immediate detection.

Timothy Harris shot me a knowing, patronizing look. "I'm sorry for this, Hannah. We haven't really talked for so long, and what I've got to say to you now isn't very pleasant, not that it's really my fault."

I didn't speak, too focused to actually concentrate.

Tim inclined his head toward the guard I'd seen drinking coffee. "Davies here notified me of something important, Hannah. Apparently you asked dear Jane for a phonebook, for work. What work does that happen to be?"

"Is it relevant?" I dared.

"Very. Everything in this building is done under secrecy, for the sake of our nation's security. You decided to become a breach in that security when you called Catherine. She's not only an outsider to our government but also to our country. That's a dangerous thing to do, Hannah." The false kindness in his dark eyes trickled away and hardened in its absence.

"Does everything I've worked for mean nothing to you? It wasn't easy getting the US this way. I don't want it breaking after all this time and I hope you don't either."

It had been jarring hearing Tim like this but after time it had lost its impact. I stood straight in the security of my plan and knowledge.

"All you did was twist this country beyond recognition. If I could change that fact, I would. What you're doing is wrong and I won't have any part in it."

"Is that so? Steve told me what you'd been doing but I doubted it. I guess even I can make mistakes." Tim sighed insincerely then met my eyes sternly. "Listen, Hannah. I have a lot of work to do if there are going to be changes in our future but you've been acting poorly, to say the least. I ignored it at first because I know what kind of woman you are. You're determined. You _used_ to supportive but now all you are is a nuisance determined to mess up my plans."

"What plans?"

"Don't act so innocent. You stole Steven's little book; you know exactly what's going on."

I bit my lip. Tim sneered.

"You called your sister for a reason. You're trying to bring down the USA, aren't you? I never thought my own wife would do something so horrific to her own country, especially as the First Lady. Though, if I was going to give you a tip, I'd recommend not leaving the phone address out in the open."

My hands balled up into fists and shook in my attempts to contain the mass of anger erupting at his words. I had been an idiot, but that wasn't the point anymore.

"'Bring down her own country'? Not at all, Tim. You've trapped me here but this isn't my country any more. You're despicable and don't pretend that you're doing this for anybody but yourself. That's why you're doing this in secret, right? You know that no American would support an invasion of Canada. Call it what wish but it's nothing but tyranny."

I watched his face clearly for a reaction but then he laughed. It was a cold thing that had once been warm, like a dead body.

"And I thought you were smart! From the way you're talking it sounds like I'm some sort of villain. Do you know nothing of politics? The public get bored with it. I'm not going to trouble all of them with the details when I can sort it out from here. They'll know in a month's time, the same time when we tell everybody. But why wouldn't they support it? It's not like we'll lose, and history is always written by the winners."

I stared at him in disgust. "History won't be kind to you, Tim."

He raised an eyebrow at me and glanced in Steve's direction. "So I've heard." He looked away from me and addressed the guard in shades. "Johnston, please escort Mrs. Harris here to her room. Make sure she's _safe_. Oh, and sort out the phone while you're there."

Johnston nodded obediently and walked over to me just as mechanically, his expression completely hidden from Tim and the others by his mane and shades. He gestured for me follow him but didn't seem to give me a choice in the matter.

I began walking out with the guard but briefly looked back. Tim had already resumed his position in the large seat with Steve by his side. My head turned away, unable to feel anything but disgust after being near him.

As Johnston led me back to my bedroom I held my left hand in my right, gripping so tightly it hurt as the golden metal dug into my skin. He knew. He'd _known_. The further from his office I got, the saner and more scared I became. My mind turned to the Canadian boy, Matthew. He would be in danger too. Catherine had the information needed, but I couldn't know whether it would be enough yet.

Johnston opened the door for me and I went inside stiffly. The moment he closed the day I exhaled deeply and looked over to Ace; he was frowning.

"I didn't know Leon was like that. Grassing you up, I mean," he confessed.

I almost said 'it doesn't matter' but there was no point in lying. "We'll just have to leave our cards with the others." I smiled in his direction, "Thank goodness for your trust."

Ace pushed the shades up his face, revealing eyes that sparkled in mischief. "Now we can see how this will play out."

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

**I apologise for skipping 95% of the secretary boss battles since it was awesome to play but it would sadly be tedious to write and read. Sorry again but I hope you...enjoy this one.**

* * *

 **Canada**

I leant against the wall and caught my breath. I hung my head from weariness and guilt while breathing heavily but thankfully I wasn't the only one. Most of us were tired after fighting the secretaries and their personal guards unarmed; the key word being 'most'.

I watched Russia stroll toward the next door we hadn't checked, smiling and looking completely unfazed. It was strange but I knew America would be the exact same way if he wasn't the one being rescued.

"Let's take a short break before heading off again, shall we?" England proposed and we all murmured in assertion.

The moment we started confronting the secretaries we all knew it wasn't going to be easy. We'd left a trail of broken and misaligned doors in our wake hiding the unconscious attackers behind them. I hadn't expected to walk in and out without confrontation but it had been jarring to see that they were so ready to fight. If there was any more proof Harris was a madman…

"We're almost done, comrades. It's too bad we weren't very lucky at choosing doors but even our luck couldn't be completely one-sided." Russia looked back to the rest of us. "Do you want to go now?" he asked.

"Give us another minute, Ivan," I answered. "Then we'll check the door." I breathed deeply and pushed myself upright. "Al's got to be on the other side. Maybe we'll even get off easy and they'll be nice, eh?"

England rolled his eyes and smirked at the optimism. I didn't really believe it either but there wasn't much point in being down about it.

"It can't go on for much longer now, Mathieu. If what Hannah said is true then we'll find Alfred soon enough," France assured me.

Robert stretched his arms, wearily. "This has been quite a long day. Once we sort this out I'm going to enjoy the safety of my own home, in my own clothes." South then groaned in realisation. "Oh yeah. I don't think we'll have much of an opportunity to get our stuff back."

"I think an outfit is the least we could give up to save Al," I said.

"Yeah, I understand y'all." South glanced around, trying to gage everyone's condition. "Is anybody still tired, or can we move on?"

Japan, Germany and Italy all voiced their wellbeing and I nodded gratefully. "Good. Let's go then." I turned and approached the door but Russia was standing in the way, and he wasn't moving. "Ivan?"

"I'm wondering if this is a good idea," he said simply in response.

"What?" I asked, unsure of where the Russian was going with this. "What do you mean?"

Russia looked down at me with an unusually troubled expression. I was so used to him smiling all the time that a deviation almost looked alien.

"I think this is going to be a trap," he replied.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Well, yes. This all has been nothing but a big trap, but that doesn't really matter. We've been doing well and now we are almost there." I didn't understand why I had to explain it. I knew from decades of being his neighbour that Russia wasn't stupid; he was far from it in fact.

"Ivan, what's going on?" Germany asked, folding his arms and looking between his allies in confusion.

Russia paused and collected his thoughts before speaking. "I think America is trying to trick us. Your plan is too dangerous for us, Canada."

"Didn't the meeting convince you of anything? This is not some prank!" South growled, his face pulled into angry incredulousness.

I sighed. "Russia, you can't let your grudge against Al stop us from rescuing him. He's my brother."

England stepped forwards. "Russia, what's going on with you? You better not be betraying us." He stood up straight with a hand resting on his side, as if he had a sword or a gun hanging there. "Alfred poses no threat to us."

"I didn't say Alfred. I'm saying _America_." Russia looked past us both and strode forwards. "You understand. He's already done enough damage."

I was about to protest that I didn't but then I felt a hand on my shoulder. My head whipped around and saw it was Germany. The questioned lingered in my expression so I didn't even need to ask.

"Canada..." he started slowly. "I...I think Ivan has a point here."

"What!?"

"We need to save America, but this may not be the way to do it. He...won't be himself and it'll be dangerous for you."

I edged backwards, away from both Russia and Germany, but I didn't move my eyes off them. What _was_ going on?

"Ivan doesn't want America to stay here, don't get him wrong, but we have reason to believe America is working for Harris."

"Of course he is. Harris is his _boss_. You can't blame him for whatever work he did before Harris went crazy," I insisted. "But why else would he be trapped here in the first place? Alfred's not the type to cave in."

Japan said something quietly.

"Japan?" I wondered but it was Italy who answered. His face was no longer cheerful, the conversation having completely drained away the happiness. Italy's now-quiet voice shook, just as it had in the basement.

"You're lucky, Canada. You haven't had a bad boss like we have...You don't know it's…It's not a choice of whether you want to give in or not. If Kiku and Ludwig think this will go bad, then I trust them."

I stared at him. His expression was sincere and left all my thoughts derailed and confused. England wasn't quite as affected.

England rubbed his forehead. "Not you too," he muttered. "What is happening? Did you all get cold feet simultaneously? How many bloody times do I have to repeat myself?" His voice started rising in frustration. "Alfred is _not_ dangerous. The fact you think he is, it's ridiculous."

"England. You have lost a fight to America before. You know what he's like," said Germany. The gentleman froze in confusion. Germany straightened up and seemed to be forcing out his words. "Would you have rescued me eighty years ago?"

England's face became the colour of a sheet. He didn't reply.

"We need to recue _Amérique_ , but…maybe now is not the time after all," suggested the Frenchman cautiously.

I turned around at the speed of a rusted door. "Francis? What do you mean?" I demanded with surprising force.

"He's a danger to you, Mathieu."

I was still but then I laughed, but it wasn't because I thought it was funny. "I'm the only person Al could never beat. He wouldn't hurt me."

But France shook his head. He took his hand out of his pocket and I noticed there was something balled up in his fist. A paper from one of the offices we'd searched. "America is about to go to war with Canada. We _would_ hurt you!"

My pupils and windpipe shrank. I felt like someone had pushed me from a submarine because only an oxygen-deprived hallucination could conjure up something like this. America hadn't done _anything_ like that for almost two and a half centuries, and he'd _never_ defeated me.

I clenched my fists. I forced my eyes to rise from my feet and met France's with an anger I never thought I'd have around him. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "You all knew this, except me."

There was no verbal response but it was the only answer I needed.

"If Harris is about to invade me, then that's only more reason to save Al," I said simply.

"Canada, please," Germany implored but I spun around so my back was facing them. There was no reason to speak anymore. Their words didn't make sense to me anymore. It was so abrupt that it felt like whiplash.

I made my way to the door, not listening anymore, and walked through. I advanced into the office, expecting at least England or South to follow, but the door must have been heavier than I'd thought. It slammed shut all by itself and cut off all the voices from outside with the noticeable click of a lock.

Dread began to replace my blood as memories returned to me at the worst time. The added security...I was on my own now.

Square lights lit up a square office. It was mostly barren which only added to the ominous atmosphere choking the room. The floor was made from light wooden planks and the walls were painted white and covered in lightly framed awards, contrasting against the oddly dark desk demanding attention near the centre of the room.

Amethyst eyes hadn't flickered away from the desk and were narrowed at the woman sitting there. She was resting her elbows on the many sheets of paperwork plastering the polished surface and waiting expectantly.

Her head was set in a square sneer and her posture was so uniform her shoulders, arms, neck and torso all seemed to at right angles to each other. The pale regulated haircut and firm malachite eyes were at a discord to the business-like suit she wore; it was obvious this woman was meant for military uniform.

Then I glimpsed past her. A metal lined door was set into the wall behind her, projecting both warmth and frigidity into the room. My expression softened in hope. He was here after all.

I met the secretary's gaze without hesitation.

"Open the door and let me take my brother back then I won't have to hurt you."

She chucked cheerlessly at me and rose from her chair. "That goes directly against my orders, _boy_."

I furrowed my eyebrows and sighed genuinely. I shouldn't have had to fight this many people, it was the twenty-first century, but that thought didn't affect my actions, only my attitude. I still readied my fists and lowered my centre of gravity. I still prepared myself for the painfully inevitable fight, but I couldn't help but add a warning.

"I'm going to rescue Alfred. You can't stop me."

An unexpected smile slid onto the secretary's face. She tilted her head as a way of exaggerating her already askew and cruel smirk. "America isn't going anywhere."

My mouth gaped and my eyes slowly widened. How on Earth did she know..?

"My name is Jacqueline Lancer, Secretary of Defence. I will not compromise on this matter, and I know you won't either, Canada."

I stood there in silent shock as she paced around the desk, her long strides meaning it took almost no time at all for her to stand opposite and face me. She was a tall, well-built woman. She was different to the others we'd faced. They'd all fought us but Lancer seemed more ready, and eager, to do so.

She casually pulled a metal baton from her belt and flicked it one-handedly before settling into an offensive stance, and charging.

I only just brought up my arms to defend my face from the bat but the metal smashed into my skin with unbelievable force. Anyone else's bones would have broken then and there but that was only the beginning.

I shot back before lunging forwards with a punch only to hit air. She was more agile than she appeared. Her hands darted up and down to block each of my blows but I my appearance was deceiving as well.

My fist struck her chest and she staggered backwards in noticeable pain. A pang of guilt shot through my brain like lightning but that was quickly dispersed by another bludgeon from her baton. It struck me in the neck and I had to grit my teeth furiously to avoid crying out. I clutched my neck but swung effectively with my free arm.

She raised her arms to act as a shield but my fist curved round to her shoulder and she was thrown to the side, only just staying on her feet. I waited hopefully but that small moment was soon interrupted by another charge by Lancer.

My body twisted to avoid metal and I got behind her. She brought her leg backwards but it was blind and easily evaded. She twirled around just as my leg struck her side. Lancer was sent away once again and just as beforehand I did not pursue. She could withdraw at any time.

The Secretary of Defence bounded at me but I caught her fist mid-flight. We continued in close-quarter fighting for a while and as we did my respect grew for her in spite of myself. She was fighting incredibly well. Volleys of blows were launched at each other and neither person was ever entirely successful.

I saw her pull back a fist in attack but I couldn't help but notice that she was breathing heavily. She was almost done, I knew it. A small triumphant smile grew on my face while my brain was focused on the battle and the pain especially in my stomach, neck and hands. I reached forwards to catch her incoming fist but as I did I caught something else. A smirk.

My eyes started to widen but I didn't have the time. One of my arms was wrapped pre-emptively around my stomach in defence and the other was struggling to keep her from attacking me. There wasn't time for them to respond as the metal baton whirled around, shining strangely in the bleak light as it did so, and crash into the side of my head.

Black.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry not sorry for the end of last chapter. MWHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **You guys are the best ever, I don't know why I enjoyed getting reviews like "** YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO RUSSIA, GERMANY, AND VENEZIANO/GEEZ CANADA **" so much. I have a problem, something which is probably obvious.**

 **I'm also going to apologise for making all you Americans say things along the lines of "** The president is a total creep **".**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you did or didn't I love it if you review! :D**

* * *

 **England**

I pushed and pulled on the door furiously. I slammed my shoulder into the door but it barely even shuddered. I stumbled away and rubbed my shoulder angrily. Nothing I did made it move which only made my rage grow. Then I realised I was getting angry at a door. I swore loudly, almost as if I was throwing the words at it. Sadly, they were just as ineffective at breaking it down.

"It isn't working, Arthur?" South wondered.

I shook my head in frustration. "No. It's not _bloody_ moving." I rubbed the bridge of my nose while failing to calm myself. I glared at all the others.

"You all were the ones worrying about Matthew. Are you going to help, or not?"

"Arthur, don't second-guess us. We want to save Alfred just as much as you do, but you can't ignore that what we said was true," said Germany.

I relented and walked away from the door but didn't say anything, unless gesturing for them to try at the door counted. I strolled over to stand by South's side and we exchanged understanding glances. If all nations did was fight with each other then we couldn't get anything done.

Both our eyes snapped to sudden movements and I gasped at the sight of France sprinting forwards. He swung his leg around and used the extra momentum to slam his knee into the door powerfully. The door shook in its tightly fitted frame but the only thing shot backwards was the Frenchman as he hopped back, clutching his knee and rattling off swears in French, many of which I recognised through centuries of experience.

"I don't think we're strong enough for that, Francis," I comment in a dead-panned voice.

" _Merci, Angleterre_ ," he snapped back. He put weight back on his leg but he still looked pained.

"Guys. How 'bout we just cut all this arguing crap and just join Matt?" South was addressing all of us. "Let's just _all_ charge the door at the same time. If it doesn't work, it doesn't, but we gotta help."

France nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more, Robert. I do not like the idea of Mathieu all on his own in there."

"He's not weak, Francis," I reminded.

"Of course. But I refuse to leave his side with America the way it is."

I frowned slightly. I understood _why_ they all had backed away from this plan, but I wasn't quite so ready to get over it. However, as always, I was prepared to push our squabbles to the side in favour of a bigger priority.

South held up three fingers and put them down as he counted. "On 'go'. Three. Two. One. GO!"

The seven of us all charged at once and we barrelled through the door. One of us may have been too weak but with seven nations, including _Russia_ , the door stood no chance.

It was ripped off its hinges and rendering whatever lock it had had to scrap metal. Wood splintered as the frame was torn by our collective force slamming into it.

We were in. The bad part was that momentum on that level was very hard to stop. South and France both fell on top of me so our act of heroism had begun with me getting crushed under their weight. This was why I left these sorts of antics up to America. Thank goodness though that Germany and Russia had enough control to avoid joining the dog pile. Japan managed to dart round us but Italy tripped up at the last moment, landing with a small 'oof' from me.

I couldn't move under all of them so I ended up having to wait for them all to get off me before standing back up myself. I dusted myself off for good measure but couldn't help but notice my cheeks were burning.

"Mathieu!" France then glared loathingly at the woman standing over Canada's limp body.

"Francis!" I called after him, only just processing the Frenchman's movements.

France ran forwards like he was some sort of bullet train. The woman wheeled around, a metal baton in one hand and a cruelly triumphant expression plastered over her face. There was no doubt in my heart or France's which was what allowed France to do what he did.

He swung his closed hand around before she had any chance to retaliate. The force threw her backwards and she slammed into her desk. She slumped but was undoubtedly alive.

France narrowed his eyes briefly but then dropped to Canada's side. "Mathieu! Mathieu! Wake up! _Réveilles-toi_!"

He brushed golden hair out of Canada's face and shook the younger countries shoulders gently. "Come on, Canada."

The air was frozen in anticipation but the tension shattered as Canada's eyelids fluttered open. His lavender eyes were bleary and it didn't take long for them to screw up in the pain of the attacks that knocked him out in the first place. He groaned like he was a sleepy teenager that didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. Even though under my care he'd never been that sort of boy in the first place.

" _Merci_ ," France sighed in relief. "Mathieu, how are you feeling?"

"Like a baseball," he replied softly with a weak smile.

"Don't worry _mon chouchou_. You'll be fine. You can rest for now."

But Canada shook his head adamantly. Despite France insisting he didn't, Canada pushed himself up onto his elbows. "No matter. It'll heal soon."

France smiled with a pained expression but then carefully helped the Canadian up to his feet, hovering like a worried parent all the way.

Canada breathed deeply and talked with his hand pressed to his temple but his voice was still determined. "I'm so close. I'm _definitely_ not giving up now."

France's expression grew troubled again so I made the wise decision to step in. "Well said, Matthew. Let's go before Alfred misses any more telly, shall we?"

He nodded and joined me in approaching the door at the end of the room. South retrieved the door's key from the unconscious secretary and went to open the ominous metal door standing before us while the other lingered. I subtly stood closer to Canada as he went past the threshold. I wasn't an idiot either. I knew the others had a point; I just knew I was not going to sacrifice America because of that fear.

America's prison cell was surprisingly light. I guess I'd had the image of a dungeon in my mind but the whole place was brightly lit to the point where not even shadows could hide. The walls were stone brick and so was the floor so it seemed like you were stuck inside the wall itself. The only comfort seemed to the thin bed in the corner but the mattress was thin and worn, looking as if it would cover the metal frame as well as a lone napkin. But it wouldn't have mattered if there had been a pool. The moment we entered the only thing any of us could see was the body.

He was slumped on the floor and leaning weakly against the bed instead of lying on it. His sapphire eyes were now dulled and staring into nothingness. His trousers and shirt were both torn horribly but the worst thing was his skin. He usually had a light tan but it was now clouded with purple, blue and black. There was a thin scar on his cheek and several gashes showing under the tears on his arms and legs. I could see the wounds had healed but the blood had remained all except for two spots at the base of his neck which still had red trickling down onto his shirt in almost a gruesome imitation of a serpent.

I put my hand to my mouth, the sight almost making me sick as anger and disgust built up inside me. I remembered Canada's initial words at the discovery of what Harris was truly like and now, I couldn't agree more. To see America like this, to see him so _hurt_ , it scared me.

South gasped but Canada stepped forwards. America didn't move or do anything to indicate he knew we were there. South and I followed Canada cautiously and I heard the other countries joining us inside the grey cell.

"Al?" Canada said, experimenting. America raised his head stiffly.

"Canada." His voice was hoarse and he was too tired to add any emotion.

Canada's eyes lit up and he moved closer to his injured brother. "Al, I'm so glad I found you! You look awful, um, you know what I mean. Sorry. Anyway, we can get you out of here now!"

America gripped the metal frame of the bed and used it to pull himself to his feet. His frame shook horribly but he was still strong enough to do it, albeit it with difficulty. "Canada," he repeated, not yet able to look his brother in the eyes.

Canada was now visibly worried. "Ameri..?"

America lunged and wrapped his hands around Canada's neck. Canada's mouth shot open in horror but the only noise were the sounds of choked spluttering. His eyes bulged and he clawed at the human vice on his neck.

"Canada!" I yelled. France, Italy and Japan shot forwards and tried to pry the two apart while we went for America.

"America, you git! Stop this!" I shouted at him but he gave no sign that he'd heard me. His face was screwed up in aggression and completely unlike America's. It was like a wolf wearing the wool of a lamb.

" _Amérique_!" France shouted. "Let go of Canada!"

I pounded my fist against him but he didn't feel it at all. He was not weak, contrasting greatly what his state appeared to be. "America! You asked for our help. You _asked_ for our bloody help!"

He retracted an arm from Canada's neck but it was not an act of surrender. Canada was still gasping frantically as America seemed to pull his arm back, closing his hand.

"Russia! Help get America off him!" I commanded and the Russian obliged. Russia balled up the folds of America's shirt in his large fist, shoving him into the hard wall one-handedly and tearing him off Canada.

Canada fell but was caught by the nations surrounding him. Canada clutched his throat and doubled over in coughing. Russia glanced away from the sight and returned his attention back to America. He slammed the assailant's head into the wall again for good measure and glared at him.

"WHAT THE F*ING HELL WAS THAT?!" I bellowed at him as he hung from the end of Russia's arm.

America was still looking at us with the hatred I'd only seen him use during a war, only at a true enemy. He had one hand wrapped around Russia's wrist and looked as if he was trying to break it.

" _Do svidanya_ , _Amerika_ ," Russia snarled in a quiet and intimidating voice. He prepared himself to punch America's face into the stone but a voice cut him off.

"Don't, Ivan!" It was barely a croak but I glimpsed back at Canada to see his face was deadly serious.

"Matthew?" Germany looked at him questioningly but it took quite some time before Canada could answer him.

"If what you said...is true. Then he's...it's not his fault."

Germany and Russia both stopped which gave South a chance to talk to America. "Alfred, snap out of it! You just hurt _Canada_!"

America blinked through eyes that burnt with anger but then it was disappeared like dust in a gale. His eyes brightened again and he actually smiled when he saw South and Canada but then quickly noticed what was wrong.

His face fell and he stared in horror at his weakened brother. "What?...Oh no...Matt...I'm so sorry, Matt...I'm so sorry..." he rambled.

Canada was still looking at America uncertainly. His expression was confused between fear or joy at the sight of him, and the shock of what had just happened.

"It...It's fine." Canada coughed loudly. "It'll heal..."

"Mathieu, no." France met America's eyes sternly and rested a hand on Canada's shoulder. " _Amérique_ , explain yourself."

America hung his head in shame, rubbing his face to clarify this wasn't another part of his week-long nightmare. "I'm sorry. It's just...I _couldn't_ stop...I wanted to but...My whole body, even in my head...I just had a whole different perspective. It was wrong. I knew it was wrong, I'd never want to hurt you, Matt. _Never_. Something...Something..." He searched desperately for words, feeling that he'd already failed. "Something just took over me." America's voice wavered in despair at his words. "It was like...like...like you were my enemy."

This seemed to confirm all the wrong things in Canada's mind. America wasn't himself. We couldn't deny that anymore.

"We need to stop your president. Before it's too late for you and..." Germany glanced back to Canada. "And others. Ivan, you can let him go now. We can deal with him."

Russia didn't object. He unclenched his hand and America dropped to the floor, managing not to fall only at the last second. America's face lit up again but Germany and I acted in unison in taking hold of one of the younger country's wrists each.

"America, you're going to answer some questions for us," I stated in an emotionless tone.

He didn't speak but nodded grimly, understanding the situation well enough.

"Were you aware that Harris is invading Canada?" I asked.

America bit his lip. "Of course I knew. I would have told you guys immediately if I had found out sooner but...things went pretty downhill right after I called you, Ig...England."

Germany nodded, accepting his answer as truth. "And I need you to explain something for us. Why did you give Harris so much information on us? How was that relevant?"

"In honesty, I was a sucker. We all thought he was such a cool guy. The isolation was a bit weird but I couldn't really complain when we were doing so well, and it wasn't as if I couldn't see you guys back then so I wasn't worried. He knew about me but when he asked more I thought he was just curious. I told him how cool the rest of you were and a few stories but I promise I didn't tell him anything serious. Or, at least what I thought wasn't serious.

"After he stopped me from seeing Matt I knew things were going wrong, I'm not that much of an idiot. I got a really bad feeling from all of a sudden so I thought it would be best to warn Rob then England. Good thing that bit worked, but..." America touched the base of his neck gingerly, the bit with two dotted marks blemishing the skin.

"H...e was curious a...all right." Any levity completely failed him.

"We have to stop Harris," Italy said.

Japan and Germany nodded in solemn agreement.

"Tim'll be in his office. Thankfully not even _he_ 's figured out how to stop me getting in." America grinned eagerly, reclaiming some of his enthusiasm, but neither Germany nor I let him go.

"Alfred, we all need to know if we can trust you. We came here to rescue you but I will not have you attacking any one of us like you did Matthew," I said. America deflated again and turned back to Canada.

"Canada, _please_ , _please_ believe me when I say I didn't want to hurt you. It was Tim. It is _all_ Tim's fault. I really couldn't help myself." America knelt down and took Germany and me by surprise. He fell out of our grip but then locked his hands together in a sign of apology as he stared into Canada's amethyst eyes, pleading with him.

"I'm so, so, so _incredibly_ sorry! If anything like that _ever_ happens to me again I want you to take me out right away. Even now, if you want to kick or punch me in the head or the chest or anywhere I won't mind at all. I won't fight back and if I do you can do it again until I don't. I _don't_ want to be Tim's weapon."

Canada stared down at him. He didn't speak and he didn't show any outward emotion. Instead, he shook off France and the other countries and dropped to the floor. Before anyone could do anything to stop him Canada pulled America into a hug, catching the injured American by surprise while all our warnings were halted by confusion. America's eyes went wide and started flitting about in disbelief.

"I don't want to hurt you either," Canada said plainly.

America gawked at Canada for a moment but did not hesitate after that to hug his brother right back.

I stuck with my eyes transfixed on the two. I closed my hands in resignation. No matter what the era, I'd never been able to have a rapport like that with my own siblings. My lips were sealed in the fact the words I thought would never come into the open but I felt jealous at the sight. I felt jealous, but also proud. How could a two like them have been raised by someone like me?

Canada slid away from the hug and helped America to his feet, holding onto him carefully. "But I won't say the same for Harris."

America held up his fist to emphasise his determination but it shone clearly like fire in his eyes. "Let's end this."

* * *

 **NOOOOOO! Oh, I'm so sad now. I've only got 2 more chapters left! I've enjoyed writing this so much and all your reactions have made it all the better. I'm going to be so sad once this is over. (After I've celebrate lapping Bast 4 times story-wise)**

 **And another announcement. In school I'm having to go through hell A.K.A. an entire week of mock exams suddenly sprung on us. I've spent the Friday writing but I'll be spending the next week revising so the finale and epilogue will be delayed.**

 **I know not a lot of fics update every 3 days but I hold myself at too high a standard when it comes to speed of typing.**

 **I'll appear again when I can. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!**


	15. Finale

**Welcome, to the God Bless America Finale! But not the end! Keep in mind there will be an epilogue to tie everything together in the end but story-wise this is the final chapter!**

 **I don't care how many times I've done it in other chapters, but I want to take the time to truly thank every single one of you! There have been (at this point) 2,9000 views, 32 reviews, 30 follows and 20 reviews! I can't believe it but I'm so happy about it! Hugs to all of you! :D**

 **This is coming out _much_ sooner than I'd indicated but that pretty much because I had more time on my hand than I thought and really, really wanted to write this, even if ending this both terrifies and saddens me.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have writing it. Thank you so much 1captain obvious! :D**

* * *

 **America**

I felt like I had the world resting on my shoulders as I stood there, maybe because that was the truth. Russia, France, England, South, Canada, Germany, Italy, and Japan were all standing behind me in the hope this would end. I knew it relied on me. It was my duty. If Tim wasn't stopped, the world wouldn't be safe and it would all be my fault. But even past that, I knew the US couldn't continue under his rule.

It was now or never. It was all or nothing.

The nine of us marched into the room, the security non-existent in my hands, and I immediately began feeling apprehensive. I felt like I was dragging along chains attached to my feet. I told England that I couldn't be the hero but now I was determined not to put the others through what I did.

I continuously reminded myself not to rub my paining neck; I deserved it for what I did to Canada but more immediately, I couldn't let Timothy know he'd hurt me. He didn't deserve any sort of victory.

We stopped just short of the horseshoe-shaped desk, waiting for _him_ , and he did not disappoint.

He was sitting on a high backed chair much like a throne and didn't turn around to speak, already assured of his power and not bothering to worry about us. "Heya, Alfie. Haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?"

My jaw locked at the sound of his voice. The words were that of a friend but his tone was anything but. I clenched my fists. That was the only voice I'd heard in my ordeal. It was cruel no matter how he inflected it. The fact I knew it was a lie allowed me to see past his demeanor.

He waved his hand like a monarch and the two guards standing beside him stepped back, allowing him to stand up and make his way around the chair. He took his time in doing so, striding toward me with slow, confident paces. The three guards flanked his movements, their shades hiding their faces effectively so they looked more like robots than people.

Tim sneered and glared at me with triumphant dark eyes. "Oh look. You brought your friends with ya." I moved forward. He was focused on me now, not the others. I met his glare with hatred.

"F* off," I spat.

Tim just laughed. "My, my. That's no way to speak to the President of the United States. You're starting to go rogue now, despite any discipline."

He stared pointedly at my injures with a smirk as he clearly reveled in my hurt. I wanted to recoil at such a sadistic gaze but I had to stay still. This man's attitude demanded attention; he was too dangerous to leave out of sight.

"Dude, that's like the pot calling the kettle black, except I never, ever tortured _you_ because you went off track. You're the president, but if anybody's a rogue it's you. I don't care about any of your plans. I won't be your weapon."

"Well, I'm your boss. I can do whatever I want with you and you have to do it for me."

"No!" I shouted. "You're supposed to represent the people! They're _your_ boss! What you want, and what the people want, are two completely different things. They don't want anything to do with you."

"My _third_ term begs to differ, Alfie. They broke our rules 'cause they love me so much. Now I know just how much of a sucker people, and you, are for me. I don't see why you think I'll face any opposition. The world has no idea what's goin' on and I honestly don't think they'll be able to do anythin' 'bout it anyway." It sounded like he had the ability to even twist his voice around his finger.

"This is different. You are different. They'll never agree to this. This goes against everything we've worked for in the past eight years!"

Tim's feet trod quietly on the red carpet, moving closer to me. "Oh, but it's so _easy_ changin' people's minds, Alfie."

"That's not…"

"'Cause I don't understand why you think I'm so bad, Alfie. You've seen all the crap happening in the world. Countries torn apart by civil wars, countries where monarchies'll kill anyone to stay in charge, countries without democracy to stabilize them. It used to be your goal to help fix all the countries like that, but then ya changed. You're the United States, but think about a united world. You were Europe's hero back in the day. You could be the world's hero now."

His eyes changed. The brown irises became warm and encouraging. "You know what people are like, Alfie. You're not _that_ naïve, are you? People _hate_ you," Tim chortled," because you stopped halfway, you can't take away somebody's crutch without fixing their leg after all. But if you do it, save the whole world, everyone will love you. Everyone will thank you. You'll be like one of those superheroes you love so much, except you'll be a super _power_."

Tim sighed sincerely. "But you never had the commitment to do it. You got cold feet when we actually acted on our goals. For a country, you know you're pretty young so you need someone to help you. We need to work together. You as the people and me…President of the United States."

"America…" I heard England warn from behind me. The few feet felt like a canyon. His voice was distant. The warning was odd. I had voted for Timothy Harris because I thought it was for the better.

Tim rolled his eyes and waved his hand again. My eyebrows knitted together. The guards stationed near the door acted on my president's suggestion and apprehended the eight quickly. I stepped away from them purposefully.

"Snap out of it!" Germany commanded. "Tyranny never breeds good!"

"America-san!"

"America?"

Tim walked closer to them so he was now standing at my side. He looked at Germany, Japan and Italy with great interest.

"How interesting: the Axis Powers," Tim announced. I noticed Germany recoiled at the reminder. Tim continued, adopting the tone of a storyteller. "Three poor countries torn apart by their own citizens because they couldn't accept the way the rest of the world was changing. But then we came along and saved them. What are they now? The third, fourth and eighth richest countries in the world. They're proof that what we're doing is right."

"America!" Canada pressed harder.

I blinked like a person coming out of darkness but my mind was still confused. Democracy saved them. The USA saved them. "Yeah, right." I forced myself to say, "we need…to stop him…"

Tim frowned in disappointment but gave me a smile like a parent chastising a child. "But you could be so great. You were already on the right track."

"We need to stop him now, _Amérique_!"

"And what about the Americans?" Tim reminded me. Yes. The US couldn't support itself without someone to guide it. There'd be chaos! I _had_ to do this.

I suddenly felt scared. I hadn't felt this bad in ages. If I get rid of Tim, then someone worse could come and take over. I internally groaned. My entire mind felt clouded just like before and it was as painful as my body…

"He is lying! You won't be the world's hero. If you let him do what he wants you will become a monster!" Russia interrupted my thoughts. He wasn't struggling against the guard but was instead yelling at me. "Your family will hate you. The whole world will hate you! _You_ will hate you! Peace is never easy and it never comes from people like Harris! Learn from history's mistakes or you will fall just like the people you fought against so hard!"

I'd fought him. I'd fought people trying to conquer the world. I knew those types of people weren't the villains in cartoons. Tim was saying something else but for once his voice couldn't break through. I raised my hand to my neck.

The villains were never like the ones in anime. They were scarier. They were cruel but real. They were like Harris. He'd hurt me. But he would not hurt anyone else.

"I'm sorry, mister President."

Harris turned back to me, his expression dangerous and cautioning.

"I'm tired of this. All of this," I explained.

Harris sighed again. He raised his hands and walked away from me in defeat. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"Well, if that's how ya feel. I understand."

Someone grabbed my arms and hauled me away from Harris. My head snapped around to see a guard taking me away. I struggled but she locked my arms behind my back and held them there in a way that would have broken a regular person's. She dragged me to the line of the other nations being held captive and my eyes darted back to Harris.

"But unfortunately for you, I don't even need your help. In a way, you were like an appetizer: nice to have, but small and definitely not essential. I'll just have to take the world by force. Thankfully you're all here for me to take. Thanks for that."

I immediately braced myself for a fight but my actions were quickly cut off by a chuckle. I stared at England incredulously as he laughed in Harris' face.

"'Take the world by force'?" England caught my eye cunningly but kept it so Harris was focused on solely on the Brit. I glanced around for a small bit before finding exactly what England had been silently teasing at.

"I'm sorry to say it, but that is much harder than it sounds. The world doesn't tend to roll over for dictatorial bastards like yourself." Harris scowled at England but he still had a bit more to say. England smirked. "Because the world will always fight back."

I grinned victoriously at Russia and we both reached for the hands of our separate guards. They folded easily under our strength and were helpless to fight back. Russia and I simultaneously seized the captors and threw them over our shoulders at each other. They crashed into each other mid-air and sent Harris back in surprise. The power of nine nations was not easily contained. That was the truth I would drill into his head no matter what it took.

The distraction and loss of our guards was all we needed. Japan twisted from his enemy's hold and leaped into the air, finishing it with a sharp kick at the man's side. Italy slammed his foot into his guard's and darted away before she could even recover while Germany knocked his elbow into his captor's stomach. England and France had to wheel out of their detainers' holds before engaging in a proper fight.

I don't know what the guards had been expecting but I didn't think they had expected to be fighting nine fully-trained men, two of which were stronger than any living human being.

"Mister President, stand back," one of the guards told Harris as he stepped between his boss and the fight. I met this man's eyes and he easily recognized the threat. He lashed out and caught me in the chest but wasn't quite strong enough to send me away. I developed the stance of a boxer and swung at him, but he swooped away and evaded it.

We exchanged a few quick blows but neither of us was able to do any drastic damage to each other. He lunged again but when I darted backward it was for the better. I watched in surprise as someone was sent flying into my opponent. The newcomer crashed into him and sent the two of them sprawling across the carpet in a pile of dark suits. They didn't stir so I assumed they'd both been knocked out but then the one on top started to move. I approached to attack, only to have him scold me at the last second.

"It's me, you git," England muttered angrily. He ripped his stolen black jacket off and left it on the ground. "Thanks, Ludwig!" he called back into the mass of fighting before realizing it was safer to be on his feet in the middle of a brawl.

A guard charged in the direction of the foreign voice but on her way I hooked her foot under mine and swept her off her feet so she lost her balanced and stumbled toward England. He'd had a code of chivalry for the medieval half of his life and was awkward about touching strangers in the modern part so the discomfort on his face was clear. England brought his leg around and kicked her into her colleague then he sighed and we switched out focus again.

Germany and Japan were fighting side-by-side against three other others. Germany's hard punches contrasted Japan's precise jabs but the two of them fought well together regardless. Meanwhile, Italy dipped in and out of fights while hauling the unconscious men and women out of further harm's way and clearing the office floor for the rest of the fighters.

France whirled about in his fight and rained high and low hits onto the guard about to attack his little brother as Russia simply brought his powerful arms down on two men. They collapsed instantly so Russia proceeded to help France.

One guard was grappling with South and he looked trapped enough but then I saw another guard as he ran toward the locked battle.

"Heads up, Rob!" I called but it proved to be unnecessary. The blonde guard grabbed his apparent colleague and threw him off South. I smiled to myself. Canada had always had to ability to blend into the room and now he was using it to his advantage. It was just like him to do so.

Another guard lunged at me and even though I took him out with ease it was a healthy reminder to keep focused. England stormed off into the fight again but I didn't move for one more moment. No-one on our side was having much difficulty since the only problem seemed to be the number of guards but even then, that number decreased with every minute.

I smiled and turned around proudly.

Harris and I locked eyes. Now there was no charade to get in the way. He was pissed. His eyes were set on me in loathing which was easily returned. He'd brought this on himself. I ran at him and batted the man guarding him to the side. Both Canada and South noticed me and quickly ran to my side to join in this fight.

However, Harris was not eager to go down. As I ran someone tackled me from behind, bringing me down forcefully to the floor. They grabbed my head and slammed it into the carpet as they forced my arms behind my back.

Canada wrapped his arms around the guard but in his effort to throw him off me he didn't end up unscathed. The guard elbowed him in the chest and followed it up with a punch that almost caught him in the jaw but Canada managed to bring his hand up in time. The guard hadn't moved his knee off me so I couldn't get up yet but then Canada swung his fist at him and knocked him off. The guard's head hit the desk and he fainted.

"I got him, Al!" South called as he sprinted past the two of us. Canada pulled me to my feet but not in time to stop South. I was consumed by dread again and I knew Canada felt it as well.

Harris moved but South didn't see it as anything but preparation to fight. My insides became ice but there was nothing I could do. South jumped at Harris, waving off the president's smile as arrogance.

"Rob!" I screamed but my yells suddenly became miniscule compared to what happened next.

It was the sound of a thousand whips at once. It was a sound none of us were unused to be it never stopped being shocking. Every head in the room turned to it. South stumbled to a halt. His mouth and eyes gaped in shock and he dropped to his knees in front of Harris, clutching his stomach.

Harris glared down at him in disgust. "Traitor." I stumbled forward but wasn't fast enough. Harris' leg swung round and he kicked the kneeling American in the head. South's blood fell into the air and his head crashed into the desk.

Blood poured into South's stolen uniform and onto the floor, dying the area around him red, but Harris took no notice of it. He stepped over South's body and leveled the gun at me as he addressed all of us. His voice was ruined by his heavy breathing and rage but it didn't matter at this point. I stared down the pistol's barrel furiously and growled at his words.

"You're too late, America. Destroy my guards but all you'll only be destroying are things I can easily replace. You will go to the special purgatory belonging to you and my wife but everyone you turn against me can go to hell. I know you can't kill me," he sneered. Harris loaded his weapon but kept it fixed on me just in case, "just like how you won't die. But I know for a fact this will hurt."

I refused to turn away. If I was shot, so be it. I would not go down without trying to this bastard. I balled up my fists. I began to move and Harris began to aim. Time slugged on for the both of us. I braced and moved between him and Canada but at the last second his arm shot toward the floor. The gun went off but the only damage was the floor as the bullet tore through the carpet. Harris' eyes widened in shock and I followed his line of sight to South.

Blood dripped down his jaw from the corner of his lips which were turned up in a weary smile. He had Harris' arm in his firm grip and kept the pistol trained away from us.

The president's face paled spectacularly as he stared down at the resistance of a man he'd murdered but South wasn't frozen by such surprise. South took hold of both of his president's arms and held him immovably.

"Who are you!?" Harris demanded.

South's smirk grew. "I knew ol' Alfie hadn't told you 'bout me." He smiled at me and I smiled back in utter relief before facing Harris once again. "I'm the south, mister President."

The gun dropped and clattered onto the floor. I reveled in his dumbstruck expression as I edged closer, clenching my fists threateningly. South shifted away as I brought my closed hands back and then finally shot them back at Harris. The impact threw him across the room until he smashed into his chair at the other end. They both crashed to a halt noisily but Harris cried out and writhed, it hadn't been enough to knock him out.

I walked in his direction.

"Tim, you're right: neither of us can kill the other. But even though I was always going to be the first to support you, I was also going to be the first to stab you in the back."

Canada, Russia, England, France, Italy, Japan and Germany all stood behind me. None of them had been in this exact situation but I knew which option all of them would choose. I reached down and picked up the pistol slowly, Harris was still unable to do anything but watch me.

I had expected him to have some last humanizing moment but I was proved wrong. Even though Harris had nothing to cling to his face was twisted with fury. I set my expression in resignation. The US would not allow something like this happen to it. I had worked throughout history to rid the world of people like him, people who thought they could control everything.

"Harris, you're despicable. You're disgusting and in two and a half centuries, you're my biggest regret. I was stupid but you're an idiot if you thought I'd let you succeed." I trained the pistol on him.

I knew the others would do exactly the same. This man had done horrific things in his eight year rule. He'd wanted to do things even more terrible than that. I'd been naive not to see his true self sooner but now there was nothing between us.

"Harris…" He deserved justice. That was why I lowered the pistol. I stared into his dark eyes fiercely. "You're not worth it."

* * *

 **Now to interrupt the suspenseful ending with my lovely words. That was the finale people, WOOP! But it is not the end! Stay tuned for the epilogue featuring President Harris!**

 **The main fight was intentionally short since it is 9 nations versus 11 regular guards but I hope I did the show-down justice.**

 **I wonder. Do you think America made the right choice? Do you think I adapted this game well? (And if you answer that then all the tension from this fic was gone from the start but I hope you enjoyed the ride regardless)**

 **Oh, and please remember that it was Harris saying those things. I don't want any of the aforementioned countries being insulted (coming from an ignorant Welsh writer so even if it isn't I apologise)**

 **Anyway, getting back on topic, I hope you enjoyed and if you did or didn't I'd appreciate if you review. Good-bye for now and thank every single reader so much! :D**


	16. Epilogue

**President Harris**

" _This reporter certainly thinks that no-one could have predicted the events of this past week. There has been worldwide commotion after the UN took assisted custody over the United States' government following revelations involving former President Timothy Harris. According to the official reports from the United Nations Harris had been planning an unlawful invasion of Canada and several other countries during his eight year presidency to be committed in the coming months. On January 11_ _th_ _2020 he resigned forcefully after the First Lady's sister, Catherine Lyon, informed the UN of his illegal actions. Harris was arrested and has been questioned extensively about his extensive crimes which include murder, several human right violations, unlawful imprisonment and torture of people who cannot be names for legal purposes._

" _The American isolation has been suspended and there has been a temporary election mandated by the UN while investigations attempt to discover how deep the corruption within the USA ran. Among the others arrested is the former vice-president, Mr. Steven Holder, who has also been questioned by authorities in the aftermath. The punishments for these two men are yet to be decided but life-imprisonment has been expected by the general public._

" _But there is one question on the minds of the world: what is the future of the USA? Some politicians have gone so far to suggest a dissolution of the country but the majority of officials have tried to dissuade these accusations. The Prime Minister of Canada said in a statement to the press, "_ It is our intentions to reveal the actions of Timothy Harris to the American public, to stabilize the country once more and to hopefully restore international relations with the damaged country in light of its government being suspended at present. _"_

" _There are suspicions across the globe and within the US itself but it has only been a week since the revelation and there is undoubtedly more information still yet to be discovered or released._ " The reporter put a hand to their ear, a sign of a new announcement through the earpiece.

" _The time has now come for long-awaited speech by President Harris. It is going to broadcast across the United States but is also been made available for international viewers_." They turned away from the camera which then turned its focus to the platform.

I couldn't switch the screen off but that was about to not matter since I wouldn't be here to listen to it anyway. I faced away from the screen and approached the edge slowly, feeling apprehensive about everything.

"Are you ready, President Harris?" an assistant clad in black asked me. He momentarily gazed up from his clipboard but didn't wait for my response before resuming back to his list.

I forced a nod regardless of his attention. "Yes. Let's do this."

I saw him tick something off the paper and he waved me forward, past the red curtain blocking me from the world's view. I breathed deeply and wished that I wouldn't sound as nervous as I felt.

"Good luck, madam President."

I nodded again and stepped closer and closer to the podium and tuned out the audience in case I suddenly got stage fright. I felt like rolling my eyes. I was thinking quite irrationally at the moment.

I straightened up and stood tall behind the podium. The black microphone was pointed expectantly at me from the get-go but I took a moment to gather my thoughts. I'd had to rehearse this moment many times. Getting this wrong was not an option.

I cleared my throat and began. "We are a mess," I announced with surprising clarity. My anxiety melted away with my words. I knew what I was saying was right. I shared his name but I did not share his values. I was confident that I could prove that fact to the world.

"Despite all our hard work to lift our country out of its hole, we are a mess. We are a mess because humans are humans. Throughout our entire history humans have made messes, and then cleaned them up. Humans have created great things, and they have destroyed them. Humans have manipulated others, but they have also motivated them. This is fact we have learned many times during the centuries of our existence and with every cycle we learn more. We have learned it is imperative that we live on through the great, and the horrible as well. We have learned we must continue to strive for freedom and prosperity when there is light, and when there is darkness.

"Recently, we have faced such darkness right after we had left another behind. We have started yet another cycle of mistakes and innocence to the truth. Our president had fooled us. He saved us from our time of need but he took advantage of our trust. He had done good things with the motivation of wrong and manipulated everybody in our country to achieve his means. He wanted to take over the world.

"We hear of such stories as children but pass them off as nothing but tales. This cycle has taught us yet again that acts of cruelty are not confined to works of fiction. The world is full of them, and this cycle of growth has taught us a valuable lesson: we are still human. However, we have taught the world something as well. We know that tyrants are not what the people want. People want freedom. We want the ability to control our own actions and to live our lives without interference from wrong-doers intent of gain.

"Our president had fooled us, and we all wish to redeem ourselves. We all strive for justice. We gathered here today to start our new future. We want a future where our children will prosper on this earth and thrive, and I know we will fight for that future. We will fight past the tyrants just as we have done in our past. Obstacles similar to the ones we have already faced may still lie on the road, and those obstacles may trip us like before. But those obstacles have not and will not stop us.

"We have fought. We fight and we will continue to fight. We will defend our values, we will stand strong for them and we will fight for them. Because we learn each time. Because we keep improving. Because we are the land of the free. Because we are the home of the brave.

"GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **I have so many people to thank for this. It may have only been 55 days/ 1 month and 24 days but I've enjoyed it so much and I really hope you all have as well.**

 **Of course, none of this could have been possible without the creator of the original game which I really hope you play and support as well.** **Thank you to/Diolch yn fawr i:**

 **1captain obvious!**

 **And for all of those who supported me with the knowledge that what I was writing was being read. I wouldn't ever have continued without every single one of you! Thank you to/Diolch yn fawr i:**

 **1captain obvious, AFanGirlof5sos, Ariaprincess, Astrarea, Autobot StormBreaker, BlockNoblesse, Don't Hit Cas, Final-Fire-Imp, GRR7997, GenericUsername01, GrumpySnoopy, Iluna Sorgina Talis, Insanity21, mommy'sLittlePyro, NoNumbersInMyUsername, Oceantears2, OnyxBunneraffe, Pumadamaster22, Red-Phonix14, Regna of the forest, RoseyNote, SpiritInTheShadows, Subtility, Yorozuya Gin-Chan, dancergeek22, eric12377, fixr, silverheartlugia2000, sunsetonmars and yonezuu!**

 **To all of those who thought that this fic was good enough to add to their favourites. Each time that number grew it made me so happy! Thank you to/ Diolch yn fawr i:**

 **1captain obvious, AFanGirlof5sos, Adorablycheeky2211, Arctic Fox From Afar, Ariaprincess, Astrarea, BlackNoblesse, Ender youkai, Final-Fire-Imp, GenericUsername01, grumpySnoopy, Iluna Sorgina Talis, Kirino Tsuki, Mommy'sLittlePyro, Pumadamaster22, Subtility, Treebrooke, animestorylover1621, dancergeek22 and eric12377!**

 **And, of course, the people who reviewed. Thank you so much for telling me your thoughts on the story and me as writer. I loved replying to you all and seeing all your responses to my chapters as I posted them. Thank you to/Diolch yn fawr i:**

 **Red-Phonix14, 1captain obvious, dancergeek22, SpiritInTheShadows, Astrarea, silverheartlugia2000, ABC, A, Ariaprincess and NoNumbersInMyUsername!**

 **I love every single one of you for how you've supported me and generally all 647 people who've read it. I can't name all of you but I would if I could.**

 **Thank you everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this fic and it's make me sad to say:**

 **Good-bye! Hwyl Fawr!**


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